Female Marines going Door-Knocking in Afghanistan

Female Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., will be sent to Helmand Province next month in an attempt to win over the hearts and minds of Afghan women, according to the NY Times.
The Marines have spent time in "cultural awareness" classes, coached on the do's and don'ts of dealing with the Afghan villagers:
Do not approach Afghan women and fire off questions. As an ice breaker, play with the children and do not let the interpreter dominate the conversation, the instructor told the women.
Next month the first-ever "female engagement teams" will go with men on Helmand Province patrols and meet women in their homes, figure out their need for aid and gain intelligence.
These women are not naïve about the dangers ahead, reported the Times, half of them have been overseas.
"We all know that what you expect is not usually what it's going to end up being," Sgt. Melissa Hernandez, 35, said, a quote pulled from the Times.
Women are not allowed in ground combat, their training prepares them for worst-case scenarios--attacks and ambushes, reported Signonsandiego.
"And one more thing: 'If you have a pony tail,' said Marina Kielpinski, the instructor, 'let it go out the back of your helmet so people can see you're a woman.'"