"She didn't know what she was getting into," said Rick.

What, they take people who can't read and understand paragraphs??

Come on, cut her some slack. She's going to probably risk her life for your sorry butt.

"What, they take people who can't read and understand paragraphs?? " Heh-yeh. Stupid girls....

Uh, wait a minute.....Tech....no....chick. Uh-oh! LATER!!!!!!!!!

At that age, you see what you want to see. The important thing is this young woman and her family have stepped up to the plate. I have a lot of admiration for her. She has character, and courage. Her parents evidentl did a very good job.

So much more encouraging than that other reservist dweeb wimp female who wrote a letter to the editor in the few days after September 11, crying "please don't make me kill people."

The poor lost soul. And unfortunately the military is unundated with them.

Cut them all some slack. Unless I'm missing something, it appears that while none of them expected this sort of thing to happen, it sounds like she is sticking to her commitment.

"Military service now has become about something much more important than self," said Heather's mom, Marjorie.

Where has this woman been?

I can respect this girl, she's not trying to bail.

Typical blonde huh? ;-)

Whoa...this article was completely bereft of whining.

She didn't really understand what she was getting into but her resolve has been steadied since The 11th?

Way to go, Heather. Good luck to you.

You're right. Those nasty hangnails from too much time on the computer keyboard can get infected anytime. Thank God I don't have to put my cuticles on the line.

At least shes not whining like a lot of the other girls who joined for the free education. Though I don't believe in women in combat, I think this girl has a lot of spunk and something to give. God Bless her!

Well, I'm sittin' on my big ass if front of the computer and she's out defending my right to do this. She's doing more than I am, so "bump" to her.

I think they mean she didn't REALLY understand what she was getting into.

I mean, give me a break. I didn't have a clue when I joined the Marines at 18. When you're 18 there's "Ya, I understand" and then, around 22 it's "OH!...NOW I undstand".

It's called 'growing up'. I'm sure you remember it.

This touches on an issue that is important to me.  I may be the only guy who feels this way, but I do not like the idea that we take our homeland defense forces away each time our National Guard is called up.  I don't like part timers going into hot war zones.  I don't think they are either trained properly or prepared psychologically to serve on the front lines.  Even if you feel that I am wrong here, they can't possibly be as prepared as full time grunts, and it seems rather dumb to take them out of the business setting at a time when our economy is already teetering.

The leadership of the United States needs to realize that we need a full time force of adequate size and training to fulfill our military tasks.  Asking part timers to do the job is silly.  We want an army force second to none then pull in part-timers to fill the bill.  I don't like it!

This isn't intended to be a slame against our National Guard forces.  It's just that I see them more as homeland defense such as resonding to riots, terrorism, invasion or other home based duties.

I for one am grateful for your decision to serve. You are brave, unlike some of the twerps on this board tonight.

Good luck and God Bless you Heather!

As the father of an 18 y.o. in the Texas ANG, I can assure you that my kiddo knew what she was doing. And I'm very proud of her. She may die. (That hurts to type) So might her elder sister. And my son-in-law. We have 3 blue stars in our window. With a fourth to go up soon. How many have you?

/john (I pray that none of your blue stars become gold stars)

"We serve God, country, others and ourselves"

Maybe. It just seems that if she were really serving God, she would have found a husband by now. If our leaders were serving God, they wouldn't put women in harm's way. Hypocrites.

The US Army, boot camp, and my Cuban drill sergeant at Ft. Bragg are the best things that every happened in my life at age 19.

God bless her. The experience turned my world "right side up" and made me forever hate most socialist bureaucracies, even if the US Army is one too.