Piestewa’s unit was considered a support unit, and in countless interviews the surviving members have said that they didn’t expect to see any combat. The Iraqi combat zone doesn’t have the imaginary line separating the front lines from the rear, Army officials continuously point out. Unlike Bosveld, some Soldiers may not recognize the risk of being on a battlefield because they have a noncombatant job. But Bosveld told her mom that if someone calls, she’s injured, and if someone comes to the door, she’s not coming back.
“When the officer came to my door, it was worse than any nightmare,” said Mary Bosveld, Rachel’s mother. “I just went numb.”
Spc. Frances Vega, 20, an administrative specialist, was killed in Al Fallujah. Sgt. Melissa Valles, 26, an automated logistical specialist, was killed in Balad. Sgt. Keicia Hines, 27, a unit supply specialist, was killed in Mosul. All three women served in jobs that put them in little contact with the enemy, but they died serviing their country.
“It hit me again that Keicia was gone when I received a box of her things from Iraq,” said Sgt. 1st Class Sean Hines, Keicia’s husband. “The smell of her hair items took me back. Keicia was my boo (sweetheart).”
Sean, who is a combat engineer, said that he has been deployed most of his military career, and agrees with the Army’s new policy that every Soldier has to be a rifleman first.
“We’re Soldiers. It’s out profession,” Sean said. “But that won’t make it any easier for me when Keicia’s unit comes back in April, and she’s not with them.”
Fallen Female heroes
- Capt. Gussie M. Jones, 41, from 31st Combat Support Hospital, 31st Air Defense Artillery, from Fort Bliss, Texas.
- Pfc. Nichole M. Frye, 19, from Army Reserve, Company A, 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, based in Kalamazoo, Mich.
- Pfc. Holly J. McGeogh, 19, from Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), based at Fort Hood, Texas.
- Spc. Tamarra J. Ramos, 24, from 3rd Armor Medical Company, Medical Troop Regimental Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
- Sgt. Keicia Melia Hines, 27, from 108th Military Police Company, 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
- Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton, 27, from 1st Battalion, 82nd Aviation Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
- Staff Sgt. Kimberly A. Voelz, 27, from 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment, Fort Knox, Ky.
- Sgt. Linda C. Jimenez, 39, from 2nd Squadron Combat Support Aviation (Maintenance), 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.
- Chief Warrant Officer (CW5) Sharon T. Swartworth, 43, Judge Advocate General Office, Headquarters Department of the Army, Pentagon
- Pfc. Karina S. Lau, 20, from 16th Signal Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas
- Spc. Frances M. Vega, 20, from 151st Adjutant General Postal Detachment 3, Fort Hood, Texas
- Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld, 19, from 527th Military Police Company, V Corps, Giesen, Germany
- Pfc. Analaura Esparza Gutierrez, 21, from A Company, 4th Forward Support Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas
- Spc. Alyssa R. Peterson, 27, from C Company, 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
- Sgt. Melissa Valles, 26, from B Company, 64th Forward Support Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.
- Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, 23, from 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.
