Tim Blair

Normally they have the names of the people on the front cover in the first few pages or so of the magazine. I guess she just couldn't be bothered looking for them or perhaps she doesn't know this hmmm. Some journalist.

gee, you mean she missed the soldier front and center?

Quick! Get this late-breaking story to Katie's TelePrompter....

WE TODD DID
WE TODD DID
I AM SOFA KING
WE TODD DID

KATIE COURIC LIED PEOPLE DIDN'T, uh, who am i kidding, this horse is totally beaten to death.

Mmmmmm......chicks with guns

Actually, I didn't notice since I don't read TIME magazine and didn't look at a bigger image of the cover. :)

Katie needs three things: better show prep, a pair of glasses, and perspective.

Heads will roll, er, helmets will roll!!!!

Wow, maybe Katie will be so embarrassed by this that she'll think twice before being such a twit in the future.

Heh. Katie Couric embarrassed. Ha.

That "woman" has her finger INSIDE THE TRIGGER GUARD... could she be JEWISH? No blood for oil! Seismic weapons! Where are my pills?

Hardly surprising Couric stuffed up, I thought they were all blokes till i looked more closely - that female soldier looks like a tomboy lezzo. Notice that Time was careful to put a black/coloured/AA/soldier-of-colour in the photo as well, so they have tried to meet their PC obligations, however the woman really should have been a Latino.

Latina

Obviously Katie, as well as most of your posters here, believe that, even if your job is in a war zone, no real woman should allow herself to be photographed without the hair and nails done, full makeup, and maybe a little cleavage peeking out from the camo. Swine! (Including Katie)

When the Silver Medal Winning U.S. Women's Hockey Team appeared on "Today" with Matt Lauer during the 2002 Olympics, he consoled them on their tough loss to the Russians.

The Russians didn't send a team to the tournament - the only team ever to beat the United States in Women's Hockey is Canada.

Couric is holding up that journalist standard of not giving a damn what she's talking about as long as she sounds sensitive.

When the Silver Medal Winning U.S. Women's Hockey Team appeared on "Today" with Matt Lauer during the 2002 Olympics, he consoled them on their tough loss to the Russians.

The Russians didn't send a team to the tournament - the only team ever to beat the United States in Women's Hockey is Canada.

Couric is holding up that journalist standard of not giving a damn what she's talking about as long as she sounds sensitive.

As a former Marine, I can't tell you how irritating that finger in the trigger well is. Don't they even bother teaching dogfaces basic gun safety anymore?

On the other hand, the likely reason is she hasn't held a rifle since basic.

The first thing I did when I first saw the photo was yell "get your finger outside the fucking trigger guard!".

If nothing else it is a testament to years of training that it still pops to the forefront without warning.

She's probably in the blanket-folding Corps (dunno if you have them over there in the US but we have them here in the Aust. Army and they are called RAAOC)

I forgot to add - possibly because of the lax weapons discipline.
Cheerio to my friends at RAAOC

Stupid of Couric to care ... so i agree... but the one in the center could just as easily be a man. Them's veiny, powerful hands, and no exposed Adam's Apple etc.

I didn't notice a woman on the cover even after reading the post pointing out that there was a woman on the cover. The kevlar and flak jacket make it rather hard to tell. The other two are obviously male because of a bit of 5 o'clock shadow, but most young SPC's are pretty baby faced.

She's a medic, not a sharpshooter.

Mark, If you mean that Medics should be excused from basic firearms safety, then you simply have no idea of what you are talking about.

Proper firearms handling is NOT a corp based skill, it is a basic military skill (hell, it's a basic firearms handling skill).

But the real question here people - where is the African-American woman?

And the Asian? And the Latino? And a senior citizen?! That cover is ageist!

hehe, i thought the black guy is a woman. there HAD to be a woman. katie couric got a butch instead. :)))

For what it's worth, it looks like her weapon is in the "load" condition. ie Magazine on the weapon, weapon is not cocked, no round in the chamber, safety in the safe position, dust cover closed. Either that or she's No.1 Scout and has an ichy trigger finger.

She's probably one of the following, cockroach, pencil pusher, or a bait layer.

or Scablifter.

Maybe Shropshire did the cover design, but where are the British, Australian, etc troops?

The weapon could be in the load, action or instant condition, in every case the dust cover would be shut and you cannot see the safety nor any indication if the weapon is cocked or a round chambered - however, maybe the US uses a different drill on the M16a2 than Aust did on the M16a1, but to load an M16 we cocked it, safed the catch and then inserted the Magazine.

However, even if she believes the weapon is in the load condition, it does not excuse having her finger inside the trigger guard - few people have a UD when they believe the weapon is in the action condition.

I've seen an M16 chamber a round when the butt is struck on the ground (specifically when jumping off the back of a truck) - the spring is not very strong.

Yes Harry,

I would agree with you're presumption, if they were Marines. To go from Load to Action would require the cocking of the weapon where by dust cover would fly open. I hardly ever saw a US Army soldier close his during my time as a baggy arse. Only my observation though.

Weak springs - Ah well what do you expect when your "Gat" was made by the same company that made Barbie (C)

er, you guys realize it was a photoshoot, right? this isn't a pic of three soldiers out on the field, it's of three soldiers put into position by a photographer. more likely that the photographer thought this position looked good, rather than that the soldier is inexperienced in the handling of a weapon.

For what it's worth, it looks like her weapon is in the "load" condition. ie Magazine on the weapon, weapon is not cocked, no round in the chamber, safety in the safe position, dust cover closed.

Still no excuse for having her finger on the trigger.

more likely that the photographer thought this position looked good, rather than that the soldier is inexperienced in the handling of a weapon.

Still no excuse . . .

There is not a "woman" with two men on Time magazine's cover.
There are three soldiers.
Reminds me of the Arabs complaining about an arab protest about those terrible US soldiers frisking Afghan women...one US reporter pointed out that this soldier was obviously a woman, and the arabs refused to recognize it...so then a report came out that prior to frisking, the US soldiers stripped down to their sportsbras to proove they were not women link

She can keep her finger on the trigger all night long, if you know what I mean.

Ahem...but seriously folks, "still no excuse" Excuse for what? Maybe she doesn't care. I sure as heck don't. I think her service makes up for it in my eyes, I give her a pass.

My wee wifey never had formal firearms training, and hasn't handled a gun since she missed the home invader she shot at 35 years ago. She still knows proper handling discipline well enough to have had an absolute fit when she noted that the jackbooted thug repatriating Elian Gonzalez had his finger on the trigger of his MP5.

Amazing how Katie - who claims to be a feminist - is insisting that a woman soldier must look like a "woman" so dear Katie can tell the difference. Does this mean no helmet, cute hair, painted nails, lots of makeup? Um - I hate to tell her, but if you are being a soldier (as in actually performing your job), none of that stuff is part of the "outfit".

As for the finger on the trigger bit. I'm hesitant to criticize unless I could hear an interview with the soldier. It could be anything from - she had no clue (really bad) to - she was ordered to by a superior officer (no choice in the matter). Since details are not available I choose to withhold judgement for now. (For all we know - Time could've Photoshopped it and "put" her finger there, stranger things have happened!)

Teresa, this "girl" would need more than a bit of lippie to be convincingly female. She is doomed, I think, for lifelong service in the Middlesex Brigade.

You know, after reading the all the comments of you he-men fashion experts, I think I know the reason the female soldier has her finger on the trigger.

"er, you guys realize it was a photoshoot, right? this isn't a pic of three soldiers out on the field, it's of three soldiers put into position by a photographer. more likely that the photographer thought this position looked good,"

Then she should have told him to piss off, a finger on the trigger is not a 'cosmetic' matter, it is quite literally a matter of life and death.

Firearms safety is NOT an 'only if you feel like it' matter.

"rather than that the soldier is inexperienced in the handling of a weapon."

The weapon is in the load condition (minimum) by definition as a Mag is on it, her finger should be outside the trigger guard.

My money says that her CSM shat bricks when he saw the photo.

Is it a matter of life and death if the gun wasn't loaded?