Lady Vet

Air Force Veteran Katy Doggett in a contemplative gaze.

Proof of Service, Please: One Woman’s Journey From Proud Airman to Invisible Veteran

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She stepped out of her car and was immediately accosted by a man in the parking lot. He pointed out that her husband was not there. She responded politely that she was aware. He kept talking, adamant that she was in the wrong. “Well you can’t park there. This is for Veterans only.”

She told the man she was a Veteran. He insisted she was not. But she didn’t back down. “I said, I was in the Air Force, I did my time. I have a DD-214. He said, ‘No you don’t. They don’t look like you in the Air Force.’”

Women in Combat: Christine Conley in Afghanistan

Women in Combat: How One Veteran Turned Struggle into Strength

After Conley separated from the Navy, she felt the intense gaze of others who didn’t understand what their curiosity cost her. It was like being under a microscope. At this point she was still having surgeries. People would see her in a wheelchair and ask a cascade of questions that left her feeling very uncomfortable. Eventually she stopped talking about being a Veteran, and if people made assumptions, she let them go. “I wouldn’t do anything to correct them because it was just easier. And people don’t always need to know everything. I definitely downplayed and was almost secretive about what I did. Because [I got] everything from disbelief to that awful question: did you kill anybody?”

WAF Airman Mary Chisholm in Uniform

Meet Mary Hamrick, the Korean War Era Veteran Who Helped Pave the Way for Others

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We recently had the honor of speaking with Mary Chisholm Hamrick; a Korean War Era Veteran who served during a groundbreaking period of changes for women in the military. Now 87, she is easygoing in conversation and carries a warm demeanor with a natural smile. And she speaks about her military service with a look of fond nostalgia and a sprinkle of humor.

The persistent problem of sexual assault in the military

The Persistent Problem of Sexual Assault in the Military

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In FY18, of the 5,805 unrestricted reports of SA, only 307 resulted in a trial by court-marshal, with 108 convictions for a non-consensual sex offense. That amounts to a conviction rate of less than 2% in unrestricted reports, and only 0.5% of all estimated sexual assaults in the military for that year. One-half of a percent.

Women Veterans Day

Welcome to Lady Vet

Lady Vet is a community for women who served and the people who love and support them. So let’s have a conversation. Let’s grow the collective voice and visibility of the women Veterans. And most importantly, if women are to be an ever greater presence in the military and beyond, let’s make that reality more welcoming.

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