I haven't been inclined to view them myself, and I was happy to assume that there was generic bad stuff in them.

To answer your questions for this specific instance, I'm inclined to take the soldier's word (till evidence to the contrary shows up) that they were deliberately trying to humiliate the prisoners as an aid to interrogation. If so, the "lady's" presence was a handy tool to increase the humiliation.

I really really don't want to hear that this interrogation story is just that. That this wierd behavior was actually some folks idea of how to have fun in a prison in Iraq.

To answer your question in a more global way, it's my understanding that the female troops (in line posts) tend to be thought of as one of the guys.