Many women veterans often find it doubly difficult to adjust to life after the service because of both their training and the lack of available services to them. Many have dealt with some sort of sexual abuse/harassment/trauma, many aren't viewed as "real vets" by some in the military and its ancillary services, and because they've been taught to "finish the mission" and "adapt and overcome" to do so, they aren't real keen on asking others for help.It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that this can cause anyone some pretty significant hardships, and as things get tougher, many women vets dig in their heels and try to tough it out themselves.
At OSDN we fast-track women veterans from the moment they walk in the door. Often I don't even do the intake, relying instead on some of the other female vets at our agency to perform the initial intake. It's not because I can't handle it, mind you, but rather it is done as a matter of respect to the woman while honoring her service and her commitment to correcting what ails her by asking for help from her colleagues and sisters.
If I'm needed, you can bet your sweet bippy I'll lend a hand, from outreach to referrals to assistance with furniture to using my truck to help move the vet. But I like to let them tell me what they want and need rather than to push my services upon them. If they need me, they'll usually feel comfortable enough to approach me; the other ladies at the agency make sure they know we're all available, to all vets, regardless of gender. If you know of a female veteran, please let her know about Operation Stand Down Nashville. If she's served in any capacity in the military, she's a veteran and often some of the older vets don't realize this, so again, if you know of a woman who's served in the military (and that's the best way to ask her) please let her know about OSDN - we almost certainly have resources she can use in many ways and we're thrilled to be able to assist....
Female veterans fight new battles at home
07:55 AM CST on Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Kimberly Hefling, The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Nobody wants to buy them a beer.
CHRIS CARLSON/The Associated Press
Like many female war veterans, Margaret Ortiz faced sexual harassment in addition to enemy attacks. Back in the U.S., misunderstanding makes it harder for them to adjust. More than 230,000 American women have fought in those recent wars, and at least 120 have died doing so, yet the public still doesn't completely understand their contributions on the modern battlefield.
For some, it's a lonely transition as they struggle to find their place.
Aimee Sherrod, an Air Force veteran who did three war tours, said years went by when she didn't tell people she was a veteran. After facing sexual harassment during two tours and mortar attacks in Iraq, the 29-year-old mother of two from Bells, Tenn., was medically discharged in 2005 with post-traumatic stress disorder.
She's haunted by nightmares and wakes up some nights thinking she's under attack. She's moody as a result of PTSD and can't function enough to work or attend college. Like some other veterans, she felt she improperly received a low disability rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs that left her with a token monthly payment. She was frustrated that her paperwork mentioned she was pregnant, a factor she thought was irrelevant.
"I just gave up on it and I didn't tell anyone about ever being in the military because I was so ashamed over everything," Sherrod said.
Then Jo Eason, a Nashville, Tenn., lawyer working pro bono through the Lawyers Serving Warriors program, stepped in a few years later, and Sherrod began taking home a heftier monthly disability payment.
"I've never regretted my military service. I'm glad I did it," Sherrod said. "I'm not ashamed of my service. I'm ashamed to try and tell people about it because it's like, 'Well, why'd you get out?' All the questions that come with it."
Back home, women face many of the same issues as men, but the personal stakes may be greater.
Female service members have much higher rates of divorce and are more likely to be single parents. When they do seek help at VA medical centers, they are screening positive at a higher rate for military sexual trauma, meaning they indicated experiencing sexual harassment, assault or rape. Some studies have shown that female veterans are at greater risk for homelessness.
Army Pvt. Margaret Ortiz is among those who suffered through time on the streets.
By the time she found her way to a program that the nonprofit U.S. Vets ran for homeless female veterans in Long Beach, Calif., she'd slept in San Diego on the beach or anywhere she could find after a night of partying. One morning, she woke up behind a trash bin, her pants torn, with no memory of what had happened.
Instead of helping her forget her six months in Iraq, where she said she faced attacks on her compound and sexual harassment from fellow soldiers, the alcohol and drugs brought raging flashbacks and blackouts. She said she tried to kill herself.
But things are looking up for Ortiz. Soon she plans to leave U.S. Vets, where she continues treatment, and in January she plans to enter Long Beach City College on the new GI Bill. She said she no longer hangs out with a drug-using crowd and instead finds companionship with other veterans.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs committee, recently asked VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ensure that service members' combat experience is included on their military discharge papers, so later they can get benefits they are entitled to.
Research has shown that a lack of validation of soldiers' service can make their homecomings more difficult.
"What worries me is that women themselves still don't see themselves as veterans, so they don't get the care they need for post-traumatic stress syndrome or traumatic brain injury or even sexual assault, which obviously is more unique to women, so we still have a long ways to go," said Murray.
Kimberly Hefling.
