“After Fire” — The Challenges Facing Female Veterans
Women vets are encouraged to suppress their feelings and not appear “weak.” This leads to isolation and an absence of support.
Women vets are encouraged to suppress their feelings and not appear “weak.” This leads to isolation and an absence of support.
Female vets must be recognized as contributing members of society, with valuable abilities and talents to bring into their communities.
When you see the graphic that the suicide rate has increased 150 percent among veterans since 2001, you know that something is desperately wrong with how the country is handling the needs of veterans.
Would anybody enlist if they knew a court ruling had put forth, “Rape is an occupational hazard of military service.”
StJohn is very clear that emotional issues around military service must be resolved before women can move forward. “We acknowledge the impact of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
A sexual attack is a trigger for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Susan McCutcheon, The Director of Family Services, Women’s Mental Health and Military Sexual Trauma, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) stated, “MST is an experience, not a diagnosis. PTSD is the diagnosis.”
Enmeshed in the stories of women who have served in the military, are the accounts of sexual harassment and abuse that are starting to see the light of day. The issue of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) has consistently been swept under the rug.
I don’t understand why black women can’t support Clinton without being accused of “abandoning their race.” Likewise, why are feminists being pushed out of the sisterhood tent for stating that Obama is the candidate who resonates for them?