Posted on Jul 21, 2017
Are Veteran Service Organizations Doing Enough To Support Female Vets?
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An eye-opener 1LT Sandy Annala Col Rebecca Lorraine Maj Kim Patterson COL Mikel J. Burroughs Sgt David G Duchesneau Sgt Joe LaBranche GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow
Are Veteran Service Organizations Doing Enough To Support Female Vets?
Posted from taskandpurpose.com
Marines
Non Profit Organizations
Women in the Military
Sexual Harassment
Posted >1 y ago
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I spent 8 years as a Veteran Service Officer and 4 years as National Service Director for AMVETS. I've had many problems with female vets. For instance my Mom was YN2 in WW2, but since she served in DC she didn't consider herself a vet and the Navy never gave her any medals (American Campaign and WW2 Victory), had to fight her to convince her. In another instance I tried to work with a female vet who'd been raped by her Platoon SGT, but she had a difficulty telling me her story, so I gave her a choice, she could go one of 2 offices, one was 40 miles west and the other 40 miles east. Both offices were run by female vets. With AMVETS I had women as Rgl MGRs, Office MGRs, and VSOs. 90% of them were vets. So rest assured women vets in Houston, Pensacola, Newport News, Ft. Drum, Phoenix, Alexandria, San Antonio, and Chicago did NOT get the run around. But overall, I have to agree. Many of the other veteran service organizations did not give women vets their best efforts.
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Jim, I spent a number of years as a DAV chapter service officer. We had very few active women in our chapter and fewer still were service officers. We obviously have many more disabled women vets than in the past, so this is a double problem.
First off, there are very few post 9/11 vets of any gender joining the VSOs. So with few modern vets, the percentage of women who might be joining a VSO and becoming a service officer is extremely low. I never saw any client women, whether members or not, inquire about being a service officer.
And particularly for survivors of MST, other assaults, harassment, mistreatment by allied or enemy forces, etc, most of these women would rather see a woman for services than a man.
The DAV national service office in Seattle has a few women officers, but not our local chapter...
First off, there are very few post 9/11 vets of any gender joining the VSOs. So with few modern vets, the percentage of women who might be joining a VSO and becoming a service officer is extremely low. I never saw any client women, whether members or not, inquire about being a service officer.
And particularly for survivors of MST, other assaults, harassment, mistreatment by allied or enemy forces, etc, most of these women would rather see a woman for services than a man.
The DAV national service office in Seattle has a few women officers, but not our local chapter...
CWO4 Jim Doran
Chapter service officers are normally not certified by the VA to handle claims. There's a certain amount of training required by DVA and DAV, then you have to be approved by the National Service Director. Just went through the current magazine and the only National Officer I know is Joy Elam.
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I cannot answer for all the Service Organizations but I can for the American Legion. The Legion being a family organization has changed greatly in the last 10 years. We are having to battle the stigma of being a bunch of WWI and WWII Vets sitting around a Bar drinking beers and telling war stories. Does this still happen, yes but not as much as in the years past and now more often in a special room away from the Families. The SOL, Auxiliaries and the Legion and Riders have their meetings and carry n the business of the Legion, and that is taking care of our Brothers and Sisters and following the four pillars of the Legion. We are about to celebrate our 100th year and we have our first woman National Commander and she is a Dynamo! She has been to South Carolina twice and the last week she spoke to a joint session of our General Assembly at the State House. In State, probably our best VSO is a retired Army Nurse. who is known from one side of the State to the other and has the respect of the Administrators of the VA Hospitals, Clinics and County VSO's.
If the Women Vets are not getting enough support then the other Vets need to get off their over padded butts and come to their Aid, and get the VSO's in gear or get rid of them. The VA will set up classes and train volunteers to assist as VSO's I have even taken the classes, not that I want to be one but I can pick up on things and know to who and where to send people. We all are responsible if our Sisters are not being recognized for their Service. The LEGION has been changing and is now working to make things better when we find problems. As for the VVA, AmVets, VFW and others they have to account for their own actions.
If the Women Vets are not getting enough support then the other Vets need to get off their over padded butts and come to their Aid, and get the VSO's in gear or get rid of them. The VA will set up classes and train volunteers to assist as VSO's I have even taken the classes, not that I want to be one but I can pick up on things and know to who and where to send people. We all are responsible if our Sisters are not being recognized for their Service. The LEGION has been changing and is now working to make things better when we find problems. As for the VVA, AmVets, VFW and others they have to account for their own actions.
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I do believe that the author of this happens to have a small presence here on RallyPoint.
@Kate Thomas (CPT Kate Thomas)
She also has a presence on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bravestrongtrue/
@Kate Thomas (CPT Kate Thomas)
She also has a presence on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bravestrongtrue/
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