Two girls, both from West Virginia. Neither is even old enough to order a drink in a bar, yet both enlisted in the US military. Both wanted to see the world, and serve their country. But how different their stories are!

The first girl was riding in a Humvee that was overtaken during an ambush in Nasiriyah. She was badly injured, though nine of her friends and fellow soldiers were killed, and she was taken into custody and brought to an Iraq hospital.

The whole country was galvanized. "This is exactly the reason NOT to send women into combat," people said. This delicate young woman was locked away and subjected to who knows what kind of abuse (though that topic would later receive detailed coverage in the book and made-for-TV-movie deals).

Eventually, she was rescued on a stretcher, draped in an American flag, in a dangerous special secret ops mission. It was apparently neither dangerous nor secret enough to leave the TV cameras at home, but I digress. The point is, her story and her photos captivated the world, she was a perfect example of Apple-Pie America.

Flash forward one year. The world is again captivated by another sweet-faced girl from West Virgina. Her pictures are in every paper, and on TV, too. But this time, it couldn't be more different. Nobody seems to wonder whether or not she was abused - the pictures quite clearly show her doling out the abuse. She's a perfect example of Ugly America.

What a difference one year can make.