Women's History Month, Free Film Night: Lioness
Date & Time: March 18, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 East 9th St, LR, 72202
Contact: Dr. Rachel Miller, rmmiller@littlerock.org or 501.376.4602
Age group: 12 & up
Free popcorn/refreshments & libations.


Description:

Lioness (2010) tells the story of a group of female Army support soldiers who were part of the first program in American history to send women into direct ground combat. Without the same training as their male counterparts but with a commitment to serve as needed, these young women fought in some of the bloodiest counterinsurgency battles of the Iraq war and returned home as part of this country's first generation of female combat veterans. Lionessmakes public, for the first time, their hidden history.
Told through intimate accounts, journal excerpts, archival footage, as well as interviews with military commanders, the film follows five Lioness women who served together for a year in Iraq. With captivating detail, this probing documentary reveals the unexpected consequences that began by using these Army women to defuse tensions with local civilians, but resulted in their fighting alongside Marine combat units in the streets of Ramadi. Together the women's candid narratives describing their experiences in Iraq and scenes from their lives back home form a portrait of the emotional and psychological effects of war from a female point of view.

One of the Team Lioness members is from Mena, Arkansas: Specialist Shannon Morgan - Mechanic. An Arkansas "country girl" who never expected to be sent into ground combat, Shannon Morgan became a soldier who experienced the darkest side of war. In Lioness, the film, she struggles to come to terms with her inner conflict between faith and duty.

For more information on the film, please visit http://lionessthefilm.com/