News
The Medal of Honor's History
Friday, May 22, 2015 | Category: History/Heritage - National
More than 3,400 Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel have received the Medal of Honor for action during 20 separate periods of U.S. conflict. A total of 193 medals have recognized non-combat bravery through 1963, when this category was eliminated. Nineteen men received the Medal of Honor twice. One woman, Dr. Mary Walker an nurse during the Civil War, received the Medal of Honor. Nine Medals of Honor were awarded to recognize the unknown U.S. soldiers buried in Arlington National Cemetery, as well as the World War I foreign unknowns buried overseas in Romania, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium.
Ex-combat Pilot: Military a Smart Choice for Women Leaders
Thursday, May 21, 2015 | Category: Combat - Connecticut
Sandra Ennor, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and helicopter pilot, flew combat missions during Operation Iraqi freedom. She reflects on her choice to serve, her time on active duty and why the military can be a smart choice for women who wish to lead.
Senator Shaheen: We Must Provide Better Contraceptive Access to Women in the Military
Thursday, May 21, 2015 | Category: Health Care - National
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) wants to ensure military women are provided complete and current contraceptive information. More than 350,000 women currently serve on active duty today and 97% are of reproductive age. The rate of unintended pregnancy for servicewomen is 50% higher than the civilian population.
How We’re Failing Our Female Veterans
Thursday, May 21, 2015 | Category: Health Care - National
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is struggling to keep up with the influx of female patients. The number of women veterans almost doubled between 2003 and 2012, from 200,631 to 362,014. It’s expected to double again by 2020. Women veterans Ruth Moore, Katelyn Labbe, Stephanie Grant and Judy Atwood Bell share their past experiences within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the VHA to include sexual assault, lack of women-specific body armor as well as unavailability of female prosthetics and contraceptives. Today, these women veterans are active vet-to-vet peer advocates. Additionally, LaRhonda Harris, Maine VA Women Veterans (Health) Program Manager, shares her perspectives on the importance of VA women's clinics, gender-specific care, physician staffing, maternity care and psychological well being.
Military Women Deserve More Than an Afterthought
Thursday, May 21, 2015 | Category: History/Heritage - National
Deborah Simmons opinion article highlights the contributions of military women past and present in the context of Memorial Day remembrances nation wide. She tells the story of Mary Walker, a Civil War nurse and the only female Medal of Honor recipient in 150 years of documented history, and shares that Amelia Robinson Jones, a 95-year oldTuskegee Airwoman, was presented the Congressional Gold Medal in April 2015. Ms. Simmons salutes both those who died and the 5.5 million caregivers who, day after day, look after veterans' medical needs and their home, family and finances.
Congress Will Finally Help Military Women Get the Birth Control They Need
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | Category: Health Care - National
The 2016 National Defense annual defense policy bill includes a provision mandating military clinics and hospitals to be able to fill prescriptions for any of the 18 Food and Drug Administration-approved methods of contraception for women in the military. If this bill passes, the pills, patches, rings, and more must be made available to military women. Overseas-deployed women service members have had difficulty getting their specific type of birth control dispensed.
Lawmakers Back Broader Access to Contraceptives for Women in the Military
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 | Category: Health Care - National
Congress moved to guarantee military women greater access to contraceptives. The legislation states that military clinics and hospitals must be able to dispense any Food and Drug Administration-approved method of contraception. Military women complained that they are sometimes unable to obtain physician-prescribed contraceptives, especially when they are deployed overseas.
'I've been quiet long enough': New Report Details Consequences of Alleging Sexual Assault in Military
Monday, May 18, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Samantha Jarret is speaking out about her sexual assault while serving in Navy, the court-martial, humiliation and retaliation. She was discharged in August 2014.
Indonesia’s Crudely Invasive ‘Virginity Tests’ for Female Military Recruits
Friday, May 15, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - International
In Indonesia, the "virginity test" is standard practice for women seeking to join the military. They are required to strip naked and have their genitalia manually examined by a doctor, purportedly to ensure that they are virgins. According to a military general “It is done in order to get the best people both physically and mentally."
The US Military's Sexual-Assault Problem Is So Bad the UN Is Getting Involved
Thursday, May 14, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The UN's Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Panel, a UN panel that aims to address the human rights records of the 193 UN member states, concluded that the U.S. military has a problem with sexual violence. One of the 2 final recommendations urged the US military "to prevent sexual violence in the military and ensure effective prosecution of offenders and redress for victims."