"For us, this is normal; it is common sense," 21-year-old Farishta, a psychology student at Kabul University, told washingtonpost.com.

Silly me. I had foolishly believed that part of the reason our military has remained in Afghanistan was the hope that enhanced personal liberties would become a part of the fabric of the nation's laws.

Then again, Afghanistan is a place where many women have been imprisoned for disobeying their husbands. In rural areas, where people are far less educated — particularly women — Shiite men can forbid their wives from visiting male doctors in the belief it violates cultural and religious mores.

It is my belief that the U.S. military will occupy Iraq and Afghanistan for many years to come. Perhaps, through osmosis, American sensibilities about personal freedoms will alter the course of events there. More likely, Iraqis and Afghans will devise governments and laws that serve their purposes.

That doesn't mean people like Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers died in vain, however. It means the payoff of their service may be many years in the offing.

Marjorie Cortez, who would likely be serving a life sentence without parole for failing to "obey" men if she lived in Afghanistan, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com