Nonprofit Spotlight: Combat Sexual Assault
Combat Sexual Assault is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering MST survivors and their families to exercise their rights. It is CSA’s …
Lady Vet Voices
Exploring the diverse experiences of women veterans.
Veterans Look Like You
Any woman who’s ever served her country knows what it feels like when other people assume that couldn’t possibly be you. The complete look of surprise, the automatic glossing over, even the occasional angry assumption that you don’t belong. The subtle (or sometimes blatant) distrust that spurs people to challenge women on their Veteran status, while taking men at their word.
Monifa Caines: From Air Force Officer to Entrepreneur
Monifa Caines is an entrepreneur and Veteran of the US Air Force. Her story of entrepreneurship is as personal as it …
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A Women Veterans Day
She goes to the club for a service meeting…
and is approached by the district president of the auxiliary,
Because in a Veteran Service Organization, if you’re a woman you must be a spouse
She goes to the VA to check in for an appointment…
and the person at the desk never looks up, as they say “How can I help you, Sir?”
Because if you’re there for treatment, you must be a man
This Navy Veteran Drove a Billion Dollar War Ship When She Was 18
To join the Army and fire a gun would have been surprising enough, but when people learn that Fowler is a Navy Veteran and once drove a ship, eyes grow big and mouths hang open. “I can’t see you doing that!” is a common response. She is proud but casual about her service and responds with a smile and a shrug. It was just what she did, and she doesn’t regret it for a moment.
THE WORD I COULD NOT SAY: A VETERAN’S JOURNEY OF SURVIVAL AFTER MST
Trigger Warning: The following is an anonymous personal account of survival after MST. Please see our list of resources at the …
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Proof of Service, Please: One Woman’s Journey From Proud Airman to Invisible Veteran
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.’”
Constant Harassment and Lack of Support: One Airman’s Reality of Being a Woman in the Air Force
“That Chapstick must be really good.” Regularly surrounded by men who outranked her, it was the kind of comment Carmen Felder …
This Desert Storm Marine Shines Brightest When She’s Helping Women Veterans
Jessica Hodge is a Desert Storm Veteran who’s calling in life is helping women Veterans. She is open and candid about …
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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?”
One Army Veteran’s Approach to Life: Focused, Positive and Always Moving Forward
ONE ARMY VETERAN’S APPROACH TO LIFE Army Veteran AJ Jones packed a lot into her 10 years in the military, and …
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Meet Mary Hamrick, the Korean War Era Veteran Who Helped Pave the Way for Others
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.