How did a group of female support soldiers — mechanics, supply clerks and engineers — end up fighting alongside U.S. Marines in some of the bloodiest counterinsurgency battles of the Iraq War? Find out in “Lioness,” a film about female combat veterans.

“Lioness” tells the story of a group of female Army support soldiers who were part of the first program in American history to send women into direct ground combat. Without the same training as their male counterparts but with a commitment to serve as needed, these young women fought in some of the bloodiest counterinsurgency battles of the Iraq War and returned home as part of this country’s first generation of female combat veterans. Lioness makes public, for the first time, their hidden history.

Told through intimate accounts, journal excerpts, archival footage, as well as interviews with military commanders, the film follows five Lioness women who served together for a year in Iraq. With captivating detail, this probing documentary reveals the unexpected consequences that began by using these Army women to defuse tensions with local civilians, but resulted in their fighting alongside Marine combat units in the streets of Ramadi. Together the women’s candid narratives describing their experiences in Iraq and scenes from their lives back home form a portrait of the emotional and psychological effects of war from a female point of view.

The showing, at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Nebraska Union, is free and open to the public. Discussion after the film facilitated by Kim Moore, a 26-year Army veteran and licensed mental health practitioner.