Kerre Woodham: Families not for the army

The only thing worse than being a frontline soldier in Iraq is being a frontline soldier abandoned by your comrades. Photo / Supplied by Spc Bradley J. Clark

I can understand Major General Anthony Cucolo's exasperation. There he is, a US Army general stuck in Iraq, trying to instil awe and wonder into the enemy, bring peace to a troubled land and inspire gratitude among the civilians.

He needs every soldier at his disposal to do the job asked of him and, accordingly, he's decided that getting pregnant is a punishable offence.

Typically, the US Army sends home soldiers who become pregnant and they're not punished under the military's legal code.

But an Army spokesman says division commanders such as General Cucolo have every right to impose restrictions on personnel under their command.

If I were a fertile fighting female on the frontlines of Kirkuk, Tikrit or Mosul, I would be sorely tempted to give the stork landing permission. Thousands have been killed in the Iraq War and God knows how many injured and disabled.

It would be tempting to let nature take its course.

But Major General Cucolo is right. Getting yourself hapu is letting down the rest of the team.

The only thing worse than being a frontline soldier in Iraq is being a frontline soldier abandoned by your comrades because they had found a sneaky way to get out of the hell hole.