Women in combat: The lady warriors of the big screen

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Warrior women in film'Aliens' (1986)'Courage Under Fire' (1996)'G.I. Jane' (1997)'Starship Troopers' (1997)'Mulan' (1998)'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)'Battle Los Angeles' (2011)'Battleship' (2012)

The U.S. military is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-combat-women-20130124,0,66796.story">lifting the ban</a> on women serving in ground combat units. But this is hardly new territory for the ladies of the big screen, where women have been fighting on the front lines for decades.
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In some films, the military heroines spend as much time battling gender barriers as they do the enemy, sometimes even hiding their sex from their fellow soldiers -- think Chinese army recruit Mulan in "Mulan," or Rohan cavalry warrior Eowyn from "The Lord of the Rings." But in other movies, such as the sci-fi "Aliens," nobody bats an eye at a woman in combat.
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From "Joan of Arc" to "G.I. Jane," here's a look at some of the toughest service members on the silver screen.

Warrior women in film

( New Line Cinema / Columbia TriStar / Buena Vista )

The U.S. military is lifting the ban on women serving in ground combat units. But this is hardly new territory for the ladies of the big screen, where women have been fighting on the front lines for decades.

In some films, the military heroines spend as much time battling gender barriers as they do the enemy, sometimes even hiding their sex from their fellow soldiers -- think Chinese army recruit Mulan in "Mulan," or Rohan cavalry warrior Eowyn from "The Lord of the Rings." But in other movies, such as the sci-fi "Aliens," nobody bats an eye at a woman in combat.

From "Joan of Arc" to "G.I. Jane," here's a look at some of the toughest service members on the silver screen.

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