News
The Facts That Matter Most This Veterans Day
Friday, November 11, 2016 | Category: History/Heritage - National
Today, Veterans Day will be remembered around the nation in a variety of venues...parades, speeches, retreats, business discounts, words of acknowledgement, and many other events. As gratitude and respect is offered, this Forbes article asks citizens to "ensure that we have a better understanding of the difficult mental and physical health issues that millions of our veterans face each day." Statistics are enumerated, giving a "better context about the battles these heroes fight when they get home."
VA Celebrates New Strategic Partnerships on Veterans Day (Video)
Friday, November 11, 2016 | Category: Department of Veterans Affairs - National
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced nine new strategic partnerships that will offer services to veterans and their families. This continuing effort to bring the public and private sectors together is one of their five MyVA strategies to better reach out to assist veterans within their communities.
Homeless Female Veterans To Get Additional Supportive Housing Option In Northern Virginia
Friday, September 30, 2016 | Category: Housing/Experiencing Homelessness - Virginia
Final Salute in Fairfax County offers formerly homeless and at-risk-of-homelessness female veterans and their children a safe place to live. Their residence will soon be renovated and upgraded through a collaboration between Final Salute and HomeAid Northern Virginia.
Taking Military Sexual Trauma Seriously
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The Orange County Community Court, in 2015, saw 85 percent male and 15 percent female veterans in their "Veterans Treatment Court." Eileen Moore serves as a mentor, primarily with justice-involved women veterans. She shares her observations about the lifelong impact of military sexual trauma (MST), noting that 90-95% of the women veterans she mentored were MST survivors. The court, if for no other reason, is geared toward male veterans because they enter the system at a much higher rate and there is limited monies for the program. She notes that she believes that "the women’s needs are not completely different from the men’s."
Healing Retreats May Reduce PTSD Symptoms, Improve Relationships
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | Category: Health Care - National
The Institute for the Health of Military Families released the findings of their study of four-day healing retreats. They found that: "Preliminary results indicate that therapeutic retreats can reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms in veterans and improve relationships for both veterans and their caregivers." Retreats include a variety of activities, including PTSD education, acupuncture, yoga and art therapy.
Elaine Harmon, Female WWII Pilot, Finally Laid to Rest at Arlington Cemetery
Wednesday, September 7, 2016 | Category: History/Heritage - National
On Wednesday, September 7, 2016, World War II Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Elaine Harmon, 95 years old when she died, was inurned at Arlington National Cemetery only because her family fought the former Army Secretary John McHugh's decision that WASPs should have never been granted eligibility to be buried at the cemetery. His ruling came about when Army officials became worried about increasingly limited cemetery space. To overcome the Army's decision and while Harmon's ashes remained in a bedroom closet, a congressional act was passed and in May 2016, President Obama signed into law legislation permitting WASPs to be inurned at the Arlington Cemetery. Leading up to this legislation, Harmon's family initiated a petition on Change.org which received more than 175,000 signatures. WASPs flew military aircraft during World War II to free up men for combat missions. WASPs were not granted military status when they flew dangerous missions, but in 1977 they received retroactive veteran status.
Here Are the Entrepreneurs You’re Likely to Find in Tampa Metro Area
Thursday, September 1, 2016 | Category: Business - Florida
The first U.S. Census Bureau's inaugural "Survey of Entrepreneurs" Businesses provided "a snapshot of the nation's employer businesses by gender, race and veterans status." One finding indicated that metropolitan Tampa businesses "are more likely to be owned by women and veterans than companies in the rest of the United States."
Military Should Address Gender Stereotypes When Integrating Combat Roles, Study Finds
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 | Category: Department of Defense - National
Authors of the Army Research Institute-funded study published online in the "Sex Roles" journal on August 9, 2016, "argue that the military should consider implementing training that directly addresses the pervasive stereotypes and cultural understandings of gender. The challenging work begins during policy implementation, which includes breaking down assumptions that are part of leadership within the organization and working on shifting the mindset of the military," said Alesha Doan, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration and Department of Political Science. Female study participants shared common experiences that when they accessed Middle East women, these indigenous people often saw them as Americans and soldiers first instead of a woman first in contrast to their male peers who rely on stereotypes or assumptions about gender. Researchers Alesha Doan and Shannon Portillo's noted that "these attitudes could cause military leaders to rely on assumptions and hypothetical scenarios to guide certain decisions on gendered policies and practices rather than evidence-based reasoning."
The "State of Women Veterans" Campaign Focuses on Issues Impacting Women Veterans
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - National
An opportunity for your voice to be heard! In a recent VAntage Blog article, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veterans Director, Kayla Williams, shared: "...VA is launching a “State of Women Veterans” social media campaign. For the next 10 weeks, we will provide weekly segments to explore issues impacting women Veterans and what we are doing to support women Veterans as they face these issues. This campaign aims to start new conversations—online and within communities—about the current state of Women Veterans with regard to education, housing, employment, health and more; raise awareness about VA care and benefits; and encourage partnerships. In collaboration with Women Veterans Interactive (WVI)–and with your help–we can raise public awareness of women Veterans’ military and societal contributions and inform women Veterans about accessing the VA benefits they have earned and deserve." Read this article to find out how you can participate in this national discussion.
Past Deadline, Feds See No End in Sight for Veteran Homeless Crisis
Friday, August 26, 2016 | Category: Housing/Experiencing Homelessness - National
The goal was to end veteran homelessness by 2015. It's estimated that it has decreased by 47% since 2010. Millions of federal dollars are earmarked towards veteran homelessness, but assumptions within the models used to calculate need are not proving to be accurate. The rate of veteran homelessness is greater than expected.