Fallujah, May 17, 2018 — The results of the classified investigation into the first extended ground-combat engagement by a mixed-gender infantry platoon were grim indeed. The six-hour firefight on a blistering-hot July afternoon began with an ambush. Sergeant Gregory Upshaw was hit with two bullets, one in the thigh and one in the kneecap. The closest soldier to him, Specialist Jessica Sanchez, was unable to support his weight as her squad dashed for cover and called for assistance. As two male soldiers responded to the call, one was hit and killed, the other hit and wounded. Unable to render effective aid, Sanchez had to run for cover herself. The two wounded soldiers remained exposed, taking further fire (which ultimately killed Sergeant Upshaw) before the platoon was able to muster sufficient covering fire to retrieve their fallen comrades.
The fight was marked by multiple additional moments when lack of physical strength caused casualties. While the soldiers all suffered the effects of extreme heat, Specialists Kara Lundgren and Felicia Jackson were combat-ineffective within one hour, and Private First Class Jessica Wheeler collapsed during the third hour of combat. Additionally, male soldiers reported that their female counterparts were less able to respond to the ambush with accurate counter-fire, and four male members of the platoon blame that failure for the enemy’s seemingly extraordinary ability to get close enough to the embattled platoon to make several grenade attacks, killing Sergeant Ryan Nichols and Sergeant Andrea Johnson.
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