Undaunted: The Real Story of America's Servicewomen in Today's Military

by Tanya Biank, Mark Thompson (Foreword by)

Overview

As she did so provocatively with military spouses in Army Wives, Tanya Biank gives us the inside story of women in today’s military—their professional and personal challenges from the combat zone to the home front...

Since 9/11, more than 240,000 women have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan—more than 140 have died there, and they currently make up fourteen percent of the total active-duty forces. Despite advances, today’s servicewomen are constantly pressed to prove themselves, to overcome challenges men never face, and to put the military mission ahead of all other aspects of their lives, particularly marriage and motherhood. In this groundbreaking, insider’s look at the women defending our nation, Tanya Biank brings to light the real issues—of femininity, belonging to an old boys’ club, veiled discrimination, dating, marriage problems, separation from children, questions about life goals, career trajectories, and self-worth—that servicewomen are facing by focusing on four individual stories.

Brigadier General Angela Salinas, the Marine Corps’ first Hispanic female general, faces the challenge of commanding an all-male institution. Second Lieutenant Bergan Flanagan finds herself on the frontlines in Afghanistan, serving in the same military police company as her husband. As a marine drill instructor, Sergeant Amy Stokley demands the very best from the recruits at Parris Island. And Major Candice O’Brien deals with deployment to Afghanistan, with two young children and a strained marriage back home.

Undaunted is the story of these courageous trailblazers—their struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs in the name of serving the country they love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451417985
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/04/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	294,274
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tanya Biank is an author and a journalist. Her book, Army Wives, is the basis for Lifetime’s hit series, Army Wives, and she serves as a consultant to the show. Tanya is the daughter, sister, and wife of Army colonels, and during her days as a newspaper reporter she traveled around the world with troops. Her coverage of the Fort Bragg Army wife murders in 2002 led to congressional inquiries and changes in Army policy. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including The New York Times.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I A Few Good Women

Chapter 1 Ooorah on the High Seas 13

Chapter 2 The General 31

Chapter 3 The Cadet 52

Chapter 4 Doyenne of the Depot 75

Chapter 5 Toy Soldiers 89

Chapter 6 The Burn 100

Chapter 7 Typhoon Season 108

Part II Double Time

Chapter 8 Return to Parris Island 125

Chapter 9 Brotherhood Revisited 136

Chapter 10 The Lieutenant 139

Chapter 11 Paradise Lost 145

Chapter 12 Nicky the New Hat 153

Chapter 13 Exhaustion 163

Chapter 14 The Fight 179

Chapter 15 A Christmas Farewell 191

Part III In the Trenches

Chapter 16 Winds of War 201

Chapter 17 Jedi Knight 206

Chapter 18 Into the Desert of Death 220

Chapter 19 Looking Back, Moving Forward 231

Chapter 20 Three Days 241

Part IV Decision Point

Chapter 21 The Purple Heart 259

Chapter 22 Stars 271

Chapter 23 The Afghan Trimester 282

Chapter 24 The Long Road Home 298

Chapter 25 Diva in Boots 301

Chapter 26 The Iron Major 321

Epilogue 329

Glossary 337

Acknowledgments 341

Index 343

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“[Biank] follows the military career of four women currently playing a vital role in today’s integrated armed forces.… An eye-opening account of a military in transition.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“UNDAUNTED contains fascinating multiple portraits of the real-life experiences of women in the military, from young enlisted women to a seasoned and celebrated general. Tanya Biank explores these lives with inside knowledge, compassion and wit.”
—Amy Dickinson, Ask Amy columnist and author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville
“To many traditional men, especially those who have known the rigors of military service, the question often is, why would women want to take on this challenging life? By the end of Tanya Biank’s fine book, UNDAUNTED, the answer is clear: because they want to do it, and they can do it.” —Joseph E. Persico, author of Roosevelt’s Centurions
“UNDAUNTED expertly captures the struggle women face in the rapidly changing 21st century military. If you have ever wondered what it takes for women service members to ‘be all they can be,’ you must read this book.”
—Siobhan Fallon, author You Know When the Men Are Gone
“Whether withering under a Marine Drill Instructor’s ‘blasting,’ jumping out of a C-17 with Army Airborne, planning operations along the Afghanistan border, or negotiating the political minefields of being a one-star general, Biank makes the reader feel you are there with four extraordinary, yet very human women who have chosen the profession of arms.”
—Jeff Melvoin, Executive Producer of Army Wives
“UNDAUNTED is truly riveting. The stories remind us that while our service members gracefully bear the burden of protecting our liberties, they sometimes do so at great personal cost.”
—Sue Hoppin, Founder and President of the National Military Spouse Network
“Tanya Biank’s UNDAUNTED is a fascinating, eye-opening account of the women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day for the sake of their nation.”
—W. E. B. Griffin, author of Black Ops
 

Editorial Reviews

Tanya Biank’s Undaunted is a fascinating, eye-opening account of the women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day for the sake of their nation.” —W. E. B. Griffin, author of Black Ops

“Biank analyzes the increasingly important role played by women in the military…An eye-opening account of a military in transition.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“These engaging glimpses into the life of military women are more than worth reading.”—Publishers Weekly

“Undaunted expertly captures the struggle women face in the rapidly changing 21st century military. If you have ever wondered what it takes for women service members to ‘be all they can be,’ you must read this book.” —Siobhan Fallon, author You Know When the Men Are Gone

From the Publisher

In her latest, Biank (Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage) sheds light on women who serve in the armed forces. She closely follows the careers of four servicewomen between 2006 and 2011: Brig. Gen. Angela Salinas, the first Hispanic female general in the Marines; 2nd Lt. Bergan Flannigan, a platoon leader married to a man in the same military police company; Sgt. Amy Stokley, a drill instructor for the Marine Corps; and Maj. Candice O’Brien, an officer whose deployment to Afghanistan strains her marriage to a military husband with PTSD. Biank is a skilled biographer, providing contextual snapshots of America’s military with each passing year. Her immersion in each woman’s state of mind makes these stories read almost like a novel, and the clarity of detail, from cadet slang to the social politics on base, reveals the thoroughness of her research. Biank doesn’t offer any groundbreaking conclusions—women are ever more prevalent in the military, but still face challenges in a hypermasculine environment—but these engaging glimpses into the life of military women are more than worth reading for their own sake. Agent: Rafe Sagalyn, Sagalyn Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Undaunted contains fascinating multiple portraits of the real-life experiences of women in the military, from young enlisted women to a seasoned and celebrated general. Tanya Biank explores these lives with inside knowledge, compassion, and wit. This important book reads like a novel, and as I read, I couldn’t wait to see how these brave women’s lives would unfold.”

New York Times bestselling author Amy Dickinson

Undaunted expertly captures the struggle women face in the rapidly changing twenty-first-century military. Enlightening and engrossing, the book weaves in little-known facts about the invaluable role women have played throughout the history of the United States military. If you have ever wondered what it takes for women service members to ‘be all they can be,’ you must read this book.”

author of You Know When the Men Are Gone Siobhan Fallon

Undaunted is a vivid, even thrilling work…Biank makes the reader feel you are there with four extraordinary, yet very human women who have chosen the profession of arms. Following their remarkable journeys not only sheds light on a pivotal moment in our cultural history, but also provides fresh meaning to the time-honored military values of ‘Honor, Courage, Commitment.’”

executive producer of Army Wives Jeff Melvoin

A fascinating, eye-opening account of the women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day for the sake of their nation.”

New York Times bestselling author W. E. B. Griffin

Undaunted is truly riveting. Tanya Biank is masterful in teasing out anecdotes from those profiled and presenting them in a compelling manner. These personal stories and experiences help paint a more complete picture of female service members and what they go through in service to our country. The stories remind us that while our service members gracefully bear the burden of protecting our liberties, they sometimes do so at great personal cost. By the time you turn the final page, you feel privileged to have been afforded a glimpse into the lives of these trailblazers.”

founder and president of the National Military Spo Sue Hoppin

To many traditional men, especially those who have known the rigors of military service, the question often is, why would women want to take on this challenging life? By the end of Tanya Biank’s fine book, Undaunted, the answer is clear: because they want to do it, and they can do it. In short, women have a right to achieve their fullest potential and pursue their dreams no less than men in any field. The four women the author traces demonstrate that when the will, the ability, and love of country are there, gender makes no difference in a soldier, sailor, or marine.”

New York Times bestselling author Joseph E. Persico

Biank (Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives, 2006) analyzes the increasingly important role played by women in the military. The author, whose first book was developed into the popular TV series Army Wives, follows the military career of four women currently playing a vital role in today's integrated armed forces: Brig. Gen. Angela Salinas, the Marine's first Hispanic female general; 2nd Lt. Bergan Flannigan, a military policewoman in Afghanistan; Sgt. Amy Stokley, who drives recruits at Parris Island; and Maj. Candice O'Brien, who struggles through deployment to Afghanistan with a strained marriage and two children back at home. Biank shows forcefully how this commitment to service still runs up against sexism and prejudice. Three of the four served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet nonsensically, by law, women are still prevented from deployment in combat. Women in the armed forces train to the same standards of excellence as their male colleagues who qualify for combat, and they must maintain the same levels of physical fitness and endurance. In Iraq, when Stokley was a driver, her truck came under attack, and one of her passengers died. Flannigan lost her leg to a roadside booby trap when working to train the Afghan National Police. Biank follows the careers of the four individuals over time, as they advance in their chosen spheres. Salinas chose to continue to serve when she was told by a corporate headhunter that she "would not find what you have in the Marines here….You're not going to find loyalty or camaraderie here like you're used to." An eye-opening account of a military in transition.

Kirkus Reviews