Women Are In Combat

At a veteran’s event I was talking to a Lara a female employee of the Veterans Administration (VA). We spent a lot of time talking about issues within the system. She had served 10 years in the Army before she was medically retired due to her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Like most people I assumed her PTSD was from a sexual assault. I was wrong, she had combat PTSD. She explained that my assumption was a major reason many female veterans will not reach out for mental health services or file a claim for PTSD because of the shame associated with sexual assault. I assumed that any female who has PTSD must have gotten it from sexual assault not combat, I assumed incorrectly.

I have said in past columns that I have yet to meet a female veteran who had not at a minimum been sexually harassed. Lara continued to educate me and said I was the third person that she had heard the sexual assault assumption from.  Lara informed me she had not been sexually harassed or assaulted during her time in the Army. We continued to talk and she told me that most people still struggle to believe that female veterans served in combat, let alone getting PTSD from a combat experience. Lara explained how a struggling a female veteran she knew could have gotten a 100% disability rating if she included her combat PTSD. She refused to include PTSD in her claim for fear people would assume her PTSD was from a sexual assault not combat, she did not want to deal with the shame associated with people assuming she was sexually assaulted. She did not want to be seen by society or other veterans as a victim.  

Lara continued educating me on her experiences and discussed how she had been struggling for quite a while because there are no groups for female veterans with combat PTSD. She tried to go to a combat PTSD group and an older veteran asked what was she doing there, women can’t have combat PTSD, women don’t serve in combat! That is a huge misnomer. There has been over 800 women wounded and 130 who gave the ultimate sacrifice since the wars started in 2001.

Recently women have been ok’d for combat, even some who have made it through Ranger school. Female veterans see combat whether society likes to admit it or not. In the past women were not trained for combat but they continued to take on rolls that place them in the line of fire during support missions. Women have been in convoys since day one of our recent wars. On today’s battlefield women receive and return fire. One of the most effective ways for our enemy to do damage to our psyche is road side bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). These tactics focus on convoys, and females are a part of them, leaving them susceptible to combat just like their male counterparts.

Female veterans need and deserve the same treatment males get for their psychological issues. According to Lara female veterans do not like to attend combat groups because most of them are full of older veterans who have not seen or believe women should be in combat. These females have earned and deserve their own groups for PTSD. The numbers of female veterans speak for themselves. They were 1.9% of casualties and 2.4% of all deaths. More than 280,000 women have served in OIF/OEF and they now make up to 20% of new recruits. Females are 14.5% of the 1.4 million in the military and 18% of the 850,000 reservist. Many of these women have been directly exposed to combat and have earned the benefits.

The center for women veterans was established by congress in November 1994. There has been little done for women veterans until recently when they started to fight for their rights. I have had several conversations with the Women Veterans Program Coordinator at the Loma Linda VA about women’s issues. She is working hard to make the Loma Linda VA a safe place for female veterans to go. I have sent several of my female clients to the Loma Linda VA women’s clinic and they have been happy with the care and services they have received.

Our women veterans deserve to be treated just like male veterans and have the same benefits from the VA. If you are a female veteran or know one, please visit or support the women’s clinics at the VA. The VA Loma Linda Healthcare System offers a variety of health services to address the unique needs of female veterans. Look to see if your local VA has a female veteran’s clinic. Female veterans have earned the right to the same benefits male counterparts receive, take advantage of them. The more female veterans utilize their clinic the more the funding will increase. Don’t be scared to get what you have earned. Don’t let others assumptions stop you from getting what you deserve.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Women Are In Combat

At a veteran’s event I was talking to a Lara a female employee of the Veterans Administration (VA). We spent a lot of time talking about issues within the system. She had served 10 years in the Army before she was medically retired due to her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Like most people I assumed her PTSD was from a sexual assault. I was wrong, she had combat PTSD. She explained that my assumption was a major reason many female veterans will not reach out for mental health services or file a claim for PTSD because of the shame associated with sexual assault. I assumed that any female who has PTSD must have gotten it from sexual assault not combat, I assumed incorrectly.

I have said in past columns that I have yet to meet a female veteran who had not at a minimum been sexually harassed. Lara continued to educate me and said I was the third person that she had heard the sexual assault assumption from.  Lara informed me she had not been sexually harassed or assaulted during her time in the Army. We continued to talk and she told me that most people still struggle to believe that female veterans served in combat, let alone getting PTSD from a combat experience. Lara explained how a struggling a female veteran she knew could have gotten a 100% disability rating if she included her combat PTSD. She refused to include PTSD in her claim for fear people would assume her PTSD was from a sexual assault not combat, she did not want to deal with the shame associated with people assuming she was sexually assaulted. She did not want to be seen by society or other veterans as a victim.  

Lara continued educating me on her experiences and discussed how she had been struggling for quite a while because there are no groups for female veterans with combat PTSD. She tried to go to a combat PTSD group and an older veteran asked what was she doing there, women can’t have combat PTSD, women don’t serve in combat! That is a huge misnomer. There has been over 800 women wounded and 130 who gave the ultimate sacrifice since the wars started in 2001.

Recently women have been ok’d for combat, even some who have made it through Ranger school. Female veterans see combat whether society likes to admit it or not. In the past women were not trained for combat but they continued to take on rolls that place them in the line of fire during support missions. Women have been in convoys since day one of our recent wars. On today’s battlefield women receive and return fire. One of the most effective ways for our enemy to do damage to our psyche is road side bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). These tactics focus on convoys, and females are a part of them, leaving them susceptible to combat just like their male counterparts.

Female veterans need and deserve the same treatment males get for their psychological issues. According to Lara female veterans do not like to attend combat groups because most of them are full of older veterans who have not seen or believe women should be in combat. These females have earned and deserve their own groups for PTSD. The numbers of female veterans speak for themselves. They were 1.9% of casualties and 2.4% of all deaths. More than 280,000 women have served in OIF/OEF and they now make up to 20% of new recruits. Females are 14.5% of the 1.4 million in the military and 18% of the 850,000 reservist. Many of these women have been directly exposed to combat and have earned the benefits.

The center for women veterans was established by congress in November 1994. There has been little done for women veterans until recently when they started to fight for their rights. I have had several conversations with the Women Veterans Program Coordinator at the Loma Linda VA about women’s issues. She is working hard to make the Loma Linda VA a safe place for female veterans to go. I have sent several of my female clients to the Loma Linda VA women’s clinic and they have been happy with the care and services they have received.

Our women veterans deserve to be treated just like male veterans and have the same benefits from the VA. If you are a female veteran or know one, please visit or support the women’s clinics at the VA. The VA Loma Linda Healthcare System offers a variety of health services to address the unique needs of female veterans. Look to see if your local VA has a female veteran’s clinic. Female veterans have earned the right to the same benefits male counterparts receive, take advantage of them. The more female veterans utilize their clinic the more the funding will increase. Don’t be scared to get what you have earned. Don’t let others assumptions stop you from getting what you deserve.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Women Are In Combat

At a veteran’s event I was talking to a Lara a female employee of the Veterans Administration (VA). We spent a lot of time talking about issues within the system. She had served 10 years in the Army before she was medically retired due to her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Like most people I assumed her PTSD was from a sexual assault. I was wrong, she had combat PTSD. She explained that my assumption was a major reason many female veterans will not reach out for mental health services or file a claim for PTSD because of the shame associated with sexual assault. I assumed that any female who has PTSD must have gotten it from sexual assault not combat, I assumed incorrectly.

I have said in past columns that I have yet to meet a female veteran who had not at a minimum been sexually harassed. Lara continued to educate me and said I was the third person that she had heard the sexual assault assumption from.  Lara informed me she had not been sexually harassed or assaulted during her time in the Army. We continued to talk and she told me that most people still struggle to believe that female veterans served in combat, let alone getting PTSD from a combat experience. Lara explained how a struggling a female veteran she knew could have gotten a 100% disability rating if she included her combat PTSD. She refused to include PTSD in her claim for fear people would assume her PTSD was from a sexual assault not combat, she did not want to deal with the shame associated with people assuming she was sexually assaulted. She did not want to be seen by society or other veterans as a victim.  

Lara continued educating me on her experiences and discussed how she had been struggling for quite a while because there are no groups for female veterans with combat PTSD. She tried to go to a combat PTSD group and an older veteran asked what was she doing there, women can’t have combat PTSD, women don’t serve in combat! That is a huge misnomer. There has been over 800 women wounded and 130 who gave the ultimate sacrifice since the wars started in 2001.

Recently women have been ok’d for combat, even some who have made it through Ranger school. Female veterans see combat whether society likes to admit it or not. In the past women were not trained for combat but they continued to take on rolls that place them in the line of fire during support missions. Women have been in convoys since day one of our recent wars. On today’s battlefield women receive and return fire. One of the most effective ways for our enemy to do damage to our psyche is road side bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). These tactics focus on convoys, and females are a part of them, leaving them susceptible to combat just like their male counterparts.

Female veterans need and deserve the same treatment males get for their psychological issues. According to Lara female veterans do not like to attend combat groups because most of them are full of older veterans who have not seen or believe women should be in combat. These females have earned and deserve their own groups for PTSD. The numbers of female veterans speak for themselves. They were 1.9% of casualties and 2.4% of all deaths. More than 280,000 women have served in OIF/OEF and they now make up to 20% of new recruits. Females are 14.5% of the 1.4 million in the military and 18% of the 850,000 reservist. Many of these women have been directly exposed to combat and have earned the benefits.

The center for women veterans was established by congress in November 1994. There has been little done for women veterans until recently when they started to fight for their rights. I have had several conversations with the Women Veterans Program Coordinator at the Loma Linda VA about women’s issues. She is working hard to make the Loma Linda VA a safe place for female veterans to go. I have sent several of my female clients to the Loma Linda VA women’s clinic and they have been happy with the care and services they have received.

Our women veterans deserve to be treated just like male veterans and have the same benefits from the VA. If you are a female veteran or know one, please visit or support the women’s clinics at the VA. The VA Loma Linda Healthcare System offers a variety of health services to address the unique needs of female veterans. Look to see if your local VA has a female veteran’s clinic. Female veterans have earned the right to the same benefits male counterparts receive, take advantage of them. The more female veterans utilize their clinic the more the funding will increase. Don’t be scared to get what you have earned. Don’t let others assumptions stop you from getting what you deserve.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Often Overlooked But Always There

With November 11th being Veterans Day I would like to pay tribute to veterans that don’t get the recognition they deserve and give them some information they might not know. About 12% of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans are women. Another 18% of National Guard and Reserves are women. Combined with all of the other female veterans there are a lot of women have served over the years. These veterans are finally starting to utilize the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system and it appears the VA has finally noticed the needs of all veterans, not just the males. According to representatives from the VA there have been some major changes in their system for female veterans. According to the VA 6% of their users are females with an estimated 641,000 who have enrolled and about 620,000 who use their VA benefits. Gloria is one of those women who deployed with the National Guard and now utilize the VA health care system as her primary medical needs. She is happy with the service she receives at the VA and all I can say is, it’s about time female veterans get what they need and deserve.

I recently attended a training conducted by the VA on the needs of female veterans. I go to these trainings because I have multiple female clients and friends. I am always looking for ways to help them and training and contacts is key to helping all veterans. Gloria has had a positive experience with the women’s clinic at the VA. She gets her medical needs met and feels safe there which is a change from her past experiences. It is when I hear stories like Gloria’s that I want to get the word out. The VA appears to be trying to change the culture towards females, it’s about time. During the training the VA official actually admitted they have been fundamentally flawed when it came to women’s issues. They have had a history of catering to men having little regard for female veterans in the past and they are trying to change.

During her presentation, the VA official brought to light some changes in the system that caters to female veterans. In the past there were only doctors trained for men’s issues, female issues were secondary, if at all. The VA now has a women’s clinic with a doctor trained to treat female veteran’s needs. When calling patients from the waiting room, they use to call all names of veterans as Mr. In military culture, it is normal to be called by last names. According to the reprehensive the VA is trying to use last names when calling patients limiting the possibility of getting the gender wrong. There are now children’s changing tables in restrooms, both men and women’s, and more female restrooms. It does appear times are changing for the better I just hope it continues.

I have come to realize over the years the VA is not transparent as they should be. When I asked for an interview with the Women Veterans Program manager I was told I would have to go through public affairs for an interview. I have talked to several female veterans about their military experiences and why they don’t want to be recognized as a veteran. I would like to hear from the VA their thoughts on why so many female veterans do not identify as veterans, or don’t want to be recognized as being a veteran. Why don’t they stand up and get the credit and respect they have earned? Are female veterans embarrassed to be a veteran? Does the shame of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) prevent women from admitting they are veterans? Is it because civilian men who did not serve treat female veterans differently when they learn that the female served and they didn’t?  Why are female veterans 3 times more likely to be single parents? Why don’t they stand up and be recognized in public? Do they not feel accepted at veteran’s service organizations? Do male veterans make them feel uncomfortable? These are tough questions that only female veterans can answer and needs to be looked at. I would like to know what the VA believes and what they are planning to do about it.

It is important that our society gives credit and respect to our female veterans, they have earned it. I support them and always have. My wife is a veteran, I have friends, clients, and students who are female veterans. I can never fully understand what some female veterans went through while serving, but I can empathize and be an ally. When I attend female veteran’s events I feel I’m not wanted there, and I understand, I could have been a MST perpetrator. I have been told that females don’t want me at some events. I was told that I could not attend a female veteran’s event last year that I helped plan and organize. Of the 50 or so people who were at the training about female veteran’s issues I attended there were 4 men. One worked for the county, and another worked for the VA. This is troubling because female veterans need male allies. There are a lot of men that want to help, we just need to be accepted. I would like female veterans to let males they know and trust help them get what they have earned. They need to stand up proud and let the world know that they matter and get the respect they have earned. There are a lot of female veterans that stand up and get noticed for their service, but many I have talked to stay in the shadows. I want all of the female veterans in the shadows to come out and let us thank them for their service to our country. Happy Veterans Day to all veterans, especially the sheroes!   

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Female Veterans are Treated Differently

Recently a civilian clinician contacted me about a client she was working with. Sue had finally sought out counseling after 20 years of living with her sexual assault while serving 4 years on active duty in the Army. Sue was tired of hiding her assault from her husband and wanted help to deal with the betrayal of her superiors while she was in the Army. Sue’s husbands started questioning her because of the Military Sexual Trauma (MST) in the news. Sue had been raped by her Lieutenant (LT) and given extra duty for having the gall to report it to her Commanding officer (CO). She was treated as a liar and grilled by the investigator, who was her CO. She was forced to re-live her rape and nothing ever happened to the LT. Her assault was swept under the rug, and the LT went on to become a Major, probably assaulting more females. Word got out of her “betrayal” and male soldiers started treating her with discontent because they felt she could not be trusted. Her civilian clinician was set aback and could not understand how this could happen in a culture like the military where everyone “follows orders”. Unfortunately this type of behavior and sexual assault is common in the military, worse than we as a society want to believe.

During the consultation with the civilian clinician I told her that I have yet to meet a female veteran that has not, at a minimum, been sexually harassed while in. With the recent interest in MST allot of female veterans struggle because it brings up old wounds and questions by their family members. Many female veterans have flashbacks of their trauma causing them to re-live the horrors of their time in. The clinician went on to tell more of the story, and it sounded all too familiar. In many cases the way females are looked at and treated continue after their separation from the service.

I met a female veteran at a MST training who was livid that MST has only come to light in recent years because men have started coming forward about being sexually assaulted. She stated “it did not matter about MST until men started coming forward, now it has become a big deal”. Women feel it has only become legitimate when men started coming forward about their MST, in reality it looks that way.

Women feel they are widely ignored by the Veterans Administration (VA). This was verified when Susan, a female veteran I know went to the VA medical center for services. At the desk she was asked for her husband’s social security number and told they generally don’t treat spouses. When she corrected the VA employee he said OK, how can I help you? This might sound small, but it is offensive to any veteran and would not happen to a male veteran. Women are not seen as military veterans, they are seen as spouses by society and even the VA at times. This is not an isolated incident, another female friend went to the vet center and was told by the lead clinician to stop being an angry Latino woman and deal with her situation. This type of sexist remark would never happen to a male veteran. 

Allot of female veterans won’t tell anyone they were in. They stay quiet because they are looked at differently by civilian men who did not serve. Some of these men seem to be embarrassed that a woman served and they didn’t, female civilians don’t understand why a woman would join the military, that’s a man’s job. When they do talk about their time in, usually to other veterans, they feel they are partially a part of the good ‘ol boys club, but are only allowed one foot in, they are received skeptically by many male veterans.   

Information released in 2010 from the California department of veteran affairs shows that female veterans are the fasted growing sub-population with a median age of 46 and a population of 1.8 million.  A female in the military is more likely to be raped than killed, this causes an increased risk of suicide for female vets between ages of 18-34 because of sexual trauma. Of those females in the military 55% were sexually assaulted opposed to 24% of civilian females. Those women vets who have experienced MST (and torture) are more likely to develop PTSD. Every veteran who has symptoms of MST is eligible for treatment at the VA. No matter the length of service. Some VA’s have opened a women’s clinic for our female veterans and according to my female veteran friends they are doing a good job. Our society needs to give these veterans the respect they have earned. Male veterans need to treat our sisters as one of us with respect. Female Veterans deserve to be treated equally by everyone, especially male veterans and the VA.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.