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Successfully transitioning veterans back home

Posted by egehl on February 22, 2012

Last week my organization, Habitat for Humanity International, held our annual policy conference in Washington, DC.  Among the many talented speakers who gave a keynote address, one in particular stood out from the crowd.  Colonel David Sutherland, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Department of Defense, spoke to the Habitat audience about the importance of supporting veterans when they return home.  

Colonel Sutherland’s principal focus as a Special Assistant to the Chairman is on Warrior and Family Support.  In this role, he leads the efforts to improve the quality of life and work for returning warriors, their families, and the families of the fallen.  He advises and assists the Chairman by advocating for warriors and their families, and promoting successful family programs across a variety of services.

Colonel Sutherland has had an amazing career.  He served in the military for 28 years and in 2008 and 2009 was regional division chief in the J5 Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, making him responsible for strategic planning and advising the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on issues relating to the Middle East.

I’ve listened to a lot of speeches in my time, but have to say that Colonel Sutherland’s was by far one of the most moving and powerful ones I’ve heard.  I was immediately struck by how passionate he is about supporting the men and women who serve this country, and their successful transition back home.

The main themes of his speech included that community leadership is key to the success of reintegrating and transitioning veterans, families, and families of our fallen; that community leaders are needed to connect with those who have served and to look for a way to assist those veterans who are returning; and returning veterans are great young people who will contribute to the community in the future.  They just need a little help with the transition to get them started.  

Over his years of service, Colonel Sutherland has met and encountered many strong, dedicated, and faithful young people who have had their lives changed because of joining the military.  He understands the mental and physical impact of war, and the potential that members of the military have to work through all of those obstacles through sheer determination, solid character, and a strong desire to continue giving back to people.  During his speech he gave specific examples of service members who have showed the large impact they can have on their communities if their talents are fully utilized and appreciated regardless of any setbacks they’ve encountered.

According to Sutherland, 40 percent of soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom have been diagnosed with a mental health issue, and returning military suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression are significantly more likely than their civilian counterparts to struggle with addiction, become homeless or commit suicide.  Therefore it’s vital that veterans not only get the mental health support they need, but also be given professional and personal opportunities to allow them to feel like an integral part of society.

Another important theme of his speech was how organizations and community resources can better aid returning military and veterans’ transition to civilian life.  Government can’t do it all so independent groups play a key role in helping veterans such as through mentorship programs and direct leadership involvement.

Colonel Sutherland believes that the key ways to support members of the military is increasing public awareness of their special needs, building community support, and promoting community services.  In addition he wants to make sure that the many community services that exist out there know about each other and aren’t operating in silos so that they can build on each other’s strengths.  As a result, this will improve the nation’s support network for returning military because the more that organizations and agencies can work together the better off the veteran community will be from this strong, diverse network.

One of the ways that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is promoting collaboration among services for veterans is through a project called the “Sea of Goodwill”.  The goal of the Sea of Goodwill is to link public, private, and governmental support for military, veterans and their families, through a common understanding of what is required to ensure a sustainable life in civilian society.  This includes education, secure employment, and quality health care, as the foundation upon which the Sea of Goodwill can build.

Because of the values and lessons service members learn during their time in the military, they stand out and can contribute in wonderful ways to our most pressing community problems.  All of us have a responsibility to make sure that happens, and what better way than by promoting and joining BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus®.  It’s a great chance to get involved and connect with a service member in your community.  Sign up today!

Posted in Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Remembering the Women During Black History Month

Posted by YWM on February 14, 2012

Black Women In the Military

 Revolutionary War

Phillis Wheatley

Not only did African-American females serve as spies during the Revolutionary War, they also found innovative ways to assist. According to Lucy Terry, Black women disguised themselves as men fighting side by side against the British. Phillis Wheatley literate Black woman, used her writing ability to praise and express appreciation for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. He showed his appreciation by inviting her to visit him at his headquarters in February of 1776.

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was basically a naval war. Female assistance was limited to making bandages and tending the sick and wounded sailors. Additionally, Black women were able to take care of the farms so that the White men could leave their homes and families and go off to war knowing things would run smoothly.

Civil War

Harriet Tubman

While we know Harriet Tubman for her leadership and bravery in the fight against slavery, she also served as a Union spy, an unpaid soldier, a volunteer nurse, and a freedom fighter.

Another former slave, Susan King Taylor, became famous for her volunteer service during the Civil War. Taylor met Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and volunteered as a nurse and launderer for Black Civil War troops while traveling with her husband’s unit. She formed the Boston Branch of the Women’s Relief Corps after the war. Her 1902 memoir is the only written record of Black Civil War volunteer nurses.

Spanish-American War

Black American females again played the role of nurse. Over 75 percent of all deaths during the Spanish-American War resulted from typhoid and yellow fever. Black female volunteer nurses were told that they were immune to the diseases because their skin was darker and thicker. As a result became casualties of the disease when they returned home. Segreagation meant that Whites never knew of the high casualty rate.

World War I

The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses founded in 1909, provided leadership and direction for the women’s abilities and service. In 1917, the co-founder of the Red Cross urged Black nurses to enroll in the American Red Cross. Despite not allowed to join until November 1918, two months before World War I ended African-American women continued making bandages, taking over jobs that men held so they could be soldiers, working in hospitals and troop centers, and serving in other relief organizations.

World War II

It was not until World War II (1942) that any women were officially allowed to serve in the armed forces in great numbers. The Army had the Women’s Army Corps (WAC); the Navy had Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES); and the Coast Guard had the SPARS. The majority of African-American women served in the WAC. They served in segregated units, as did the African-American men. Out of the 271,000 women serving during this period, only 4,000 were African-American women.

Desert Storm

African-American women served with distinction during Operation Desert Storm, as officers, noncommissioned officers, and enlisted soldiers. Of the 35,000 females who went to Desert Storm, an estimated 40 percent of them were African-Americans.

LT Phoebe Jeter, who headed an all-male platoon, ordered 13 Patriots fired (anti-missile missiles), destroying at least two Scuds (Iraqi surface-to-surface missiles). Another African-American woman, CPT Cynthia Mosely, commanded Alpha Company, 24th Support Battalion Forward, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), a 100-person unit that supplied everything from fuel to water to ammunition. Her unit resupplied fuel for all of the forward brigades because it was closest to the front lines.

Alls of these women paved paved the way for those serving today.  In 1993, Black women comprised 33 percent of Army female recruits, 22 percent of Navy female recruits, 17 percent of Marine Corps female recruits and 18 percent of Air Force female recruits. Today 30.3 percent of the military is African-American women; approximately 33.6 percent serve as enlisted, and 13.1 percent serve as commissioned and warrant officers.

Check back for more information on Black women in the military during Black History Month

Posted in Black History Month, Military, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces – Women Veterans Speak Out: The Trenches, Remembered

Posted by YWM on January 31, 2012

By Joan Grey
BPW Foundation Mentoring Liaison

We all have our stories.  Maybe these narratives, rather than DNA, are really what make us human.  On the topic of military sexual trauma, I turned to my West Point women classmates for their input.  Ours was the first co-ed class. Out of over 900 graduates, 62 were women.

We didn’t get to know each other as well as you might think for all the shared challenges we faced. The message we absorbed was, “Where two or more are gathered, a conspiracy is brewing.” So, we went our separate ways, tried to blend in, and not draw attention.  A bellowed command of, “Miss, halt,” caused more than a few collisions and scuffed spitshines when women scurrying to class instantly obeyed.

Were we harassed? As Anne put it, “Oh, let me count the ways.  But was this exclusively because I was a woman? Yes and No.  Was this just part of being a cadet at West Point? Yes and no.”

Some ideas were “design flaws” like the shorty, see-thru bathrobes; go-go boots; swimsuits that failed to cover; 4000 calorie meals (leading to Hudson hip disease); and parade coat without tails. What was the administration thinking? Others were humorous, at least in retrospect, like the mandatory makeovers (what message does that send?) and group consciousness raising session that required physical restraint (Go, Karen!).

Some problems were simply criminal. A classmate was attacked in her room. She left; he graduated. It was not the only nighttime intrusion, but one that was most widely known, especially when you consider pre-internet days.

After this episode, women cadets were required to sleep two or more to a room. If your roommate was gone overnight, the remaining cadet needed to bunk with someone else or find another woman to sleep in her room, to ensure women’s safety at night.  Because of West Point’s honor code, we had “Absence cards” but not locks on the doors. Ever inventive, women applied military tactics by propping brooms or chairs against doors as early warning devices.  Locks weren’t installed on barracks room doors until around 1990—14 years after the arrival of women cadets.

And some rules were intended to prevent illicit encounters–like doors open when members of the opposite sex where in the room; then changed so the door didn’t have to be wide open—disruptive to studying; and yet again, door open and propped with a trash can. Dr Seuss would have had a field day composing a tale (see The Sneetches). At some point, windows received privacy shades, with specific rules about inches from sill in daytime.

Department of Defense (DOD) defines Military Sexual Trauma (MST) as rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. MST affects both women and men in uniform, but disproportionately affects women. Sexual assault and rape is widespread, with one study reporting that almost one in four women had been assaulted or raped, and that’s just reported cases. A female soldier in a war zone is at greater risk of being raped by a fellow soldier than dying under fire. Maybe the problem hasn’t gotten worse; but just better reported as a possible justification for increased assaults at military academies. Women entered military academies in the mid-70s. However, reporting on the effectiveness of sexual-violence related programs and policies was not mandated until 2007.

It’s the anecdotes rather than statistics that punch you in the gut though…

Neu Ulm, Germany; 1981; a guesthouse on an American Kaserne: The hotel was American-operated, in a gated community, as military facilities tend to be.  The group bathroom/shower was down the hall—separated from the sleeping area—more like a hostel, but a step up from a bunk in the barracks with no privacy. The window in the bathroom was a concern. One side of the casement had been lodged behind the washing machine. To close the window would require pulling the machine out and it was wedged beside the dryer. So the window stayed open, figuring it was the middle of the night and the room was on the 3rd floor. Mistake. A hand reached into the shower. A man pulled back the shower curtain. Water off, towel grabbed, and backed up toward the locked door; she managed to escape. He was never caught, but the souvenir composite sketch is a reminder that it actually happened… Like the shower scene from Psycho, the image will suddenly surface.

Why bring this up now, more than 30 years after the first West Point class with women graduated? Not only because of an increase in assaults at military academies, but  there has been a lot of interest lately with the showing at the Sundance Film Festival of the Invisible War which reports in an unflinching manner on rape in the military and the reauthorization of The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA provides money to enhance investigation and prosecution of violent crimes perpetrated against women

Even if we weren’t physically assaulted, were we unscathed? The first class of West Point women can boast of a lot of accomplishments—mothers, doctors, lawyer, Indian chief (still reading?), Rhodes Scholar, teachers & professors, nun, general officer, SES’, activists, movers and shakers.  Perhaps the statistic that gives most hope is how many woman classmates have let their children attend service academies.  Mothers wouldn’t knowingly send their children into danger.

Commandeering the public address system to play I Am Woman before graduation was discussed but didn’t happen. Like the lyrics of that song, the West Point women of 1980 are resilient.

Yes I am wise

But it’s wisdom born of pain

Yes, I’ve paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anything

West Point Women 1980

I am strong

I am invincible

I am woman

 

I raise a glass to all pathfinders—you can bend but never break us.

Posted in Feminism, HERvotes, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Everyone Can Lend a Hand Through Mentoring

Posted by serenity order simplicity on January 26, 2012

At a year old, Rachel can walk. However, when we saw her a month ago, she still preferred assistance. She would commandeer the closest adult. Without a word, she made her needs clear. She would lift her arms and whoever noticed knew to extend a finger or two. She grabbed on and headed off—a 2-foot-tall dynamo leading the stooped over, willing adult.

So, what does this have to do with mentoring? Rachel is not your typical business associate. While my connection with my granddaughter is certainly not professional, our interaction has aspects of mentoring.  We have a mutually agreeable relationship that includes respect, communication, and setting boundaries.

Within each of us is the capacity to mentor. And each of us has an area in which we could use mentoring by someone else. Mentoring is more about relationship than skills or knowledge. Probably the biggest “skill” a mentor needs is the desire to help. It’s a relationship built on trust and respect.  And it recognizes that at some point, our mentee will no longer need us and be able to “walk” by herself.

A mentor wants her mentee to succeed. Rachel’s ability to walk is independent of me, but my helping hands have encouraged her in the process. And you can bet I’m there to applaud every step she takes. I’m also there to pick her up when she falls; drying tears if needed.

January is National Mentoring Month, focusing on mentoring as a way to give back.  This year, Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation is concentrating on women veterans and military wives.  BPW Foundation has deployed Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses® (JFWVMS) Mentoring Plus, a program dedicated to helping women veterans and military spouses connect with working women mentors and subject matter experts (SMEs) to receive support, guidance, and career development.

There is a role for everyone to play. Our mentors and mentees are women of all ages, eras, ranks and skills. Follow this link to sign up to be a mentor, subject matter expert or mentee.

Did you ever teach someone how to use Facebook, or knit, or mix a margarita? Congratulations, you have the skills to be a subject matter expert (SME). While, Mentoring Plus is focusing on career-oriented skills, it’s not so different than teaching other things. In the new world of job seeking, there’s overlap between personal and professional roles. A SME might advise you to have a Linkedin profile or possibly edit the photos you post on social media sites.  Maybe you’d like to rehearse interview questions and a mentor or SME can help. A mentor may also share contacts on her network, point out opportunities, and open doors.

Rachel’s successes are hers to enjoy. I feel honored to accompany her as she blossoms from baby to toddler. Who knows how her life will unfold, but you can be sure of this: I’ll be there to share and shape and guide the person she becomes. You’ll recognize me by my loud cheering, whether she’s jumping off a diving board or walking across a stage to pick up her diploma. And if you are involved in a mentoring relationship, you can probably relate.

Please help us connect 10,000 women veterans and military spouses with mentors during 2012 by sharing this information on webpages, social media, and at meetings.

If you have questions or need further details, please contact us at JoiningForces@BPWFoundation.org.

For updates, follow us:

http://www.facebook.com/BPWF4WomenVets 

https://twitter.com/#!/BPWF4WomenVets

Posted in Mentoring, Military, Successful Workplaces, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – Acknowledging Homeless Women Veterans

Posted by danielleac on January 2, 2012

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org.

Acknowledging Homeless Women Veterans

by Debbie Metcalf (as printed in the Asheville Citizen-Times)

 

The horrible situation of being homeless — not having a place to call your own, to lay down in your own bed, make coffee in your own kitchen, and play with your kids in your own den — is made worse if you’re a homeless female veteran, by feelings of embarrassment for being in that situation and anger for having faithfully served our country and still not have a home when you get out.

They come in all shapes and sizes, with varying goals for their lives and differing ideas on how to best attain them. Some of these women are mothers with dependent children to care for. Some are going to school to further their education and increase their work skills. Some of these women are victims of sexual harassment and abuse while serving in the military. Some are addicts and alcoholics. Some are religious and some are not. Some are gay and some are straight. Their lives are as varied as ours.

But their life experiences are very different from ours in that they are experiencing a form of betrayal that most of us have never known. They came home from service in the military to a society that seems to ignore the fact that women have played a vital role in the U.S. armed services for many decades. And contrary to popular thought, women have always been exposed to and participated in very dangerous situations in the military. These women have been injured and experienced loss and sadness while working to serve their country, just as the male veterans. Now, they are homeless.

Asheville is a great area to live and work. We have so many philanthropic organizations that assist people in need. I’m a proud native of Asheville. There are nonprofits dedicated to protecting our rivers, mountains, downtown, greenways, animals, civil rights, air. We have nonprofits to protect handicapped persons and victims of domestic violence, rape, PTSD, child abuse, hate crimes. We also have nonprofits that offer assistance to homeless individuals. The problem in Asheville is that homeless male veterans have a specific place to call their own, whereas homeless female veterans do not have such a facility. The federal government has extended grants to nonprofits to assist homeless veterans in our area. The males have the Veterans Restoration Center at Oteen that houses only male veterans. The women, however, are allocated only 10 beds at the Steadfast House, a homeless shelter that houses all homeless women. Many homeless female veterans are discouraged to accept this housing because of the stringent interviewing process that many feel discriminates against them. These female veterans are also many times left out of the loop about veteran issues and programs available to assist women to achieve their goals in becoming self-sufficient. The homeless female veterans in our area need a transitional facility that serves only veterans and provides information related to their veteran status. It’s only fair.

Homeless female veterans have unique experiences and needs from the general homeless female population. We are committed to doing what we can to bring greater equality for these women. They deserve a group working for them, since they are being short-changed by the existing organizations that are funded to assist homeless vets. It’s the age-old problem of sexism in our society. Women who have served in the military are victims of a patriarchal culture that devalues their worth, minimizing their involvement in the service of our country. We need to stand up for these voiceless women who are living at the mercies of a patriarchal organization and get them some real help; the kind of help that will get them out of their current situation and into a place of their own. They have much to offer society. But first we need to offer them a hand-up so they can get their lives back in order.These women need clothes to wear to job interviews. They need transportation to appointments and sometimes assistance completing applications for housing, food assistance, school, employment. They need a safe and comfortable place to sleep at night, until they can get a permanent place of their own. We are working to make that happen.

For more information on the effort to end homelessness among the women veteran population in Asheville, contact Debbie at mzdjm@live.com

 

Posted in Families, Homelessness, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – Embracing Your True Self

Posted by danielleac on December 5, 2011

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org.

Embracing Your True Self

by Danielle Corazza

I’ve never been a girly-girl. Growing up in a dual-military family left me with a strong work ethic, a drive to constantly achieve, and very little time for fashion and giggles. Not that I didn’t have a fun childhood filled with great times, family, and friends, just that I never felt that I fit the traditional “feminine” model as I had very little time or concern for my appearance or baby dolls – instead being obsessed with earning ribbons for good grades and money. The thought of spending hours in a chair for a hair appointment, or even worse, loitering in a spa all day, leaves me filled with unease, instead of delight.  And, compared to my two sisters, I am downright tomboyish. One sister, a fashion plate who always looks like she popped off the pages of a magazine, tried (unsuccessfully!) for years to guide me towards the softer side of being a woman.

I’m not sure if my early exposure to the military life, that of pressing military uniforms and polishing boots, surrounded by no-nonsense men and women going about the business of serving our country, formed my perspective, or if I was born this way, and the environment  just exacerbated it. Either way, it never bothered me, and being told I was “one of the guys” by guy friends and co-workers always made me feel I’d passed a special test – one that proved that I wasn’t afraid of blood, sweat, and guns… Yes, guns. From the moment I picked one up in basic training, it felt right. I was good at taking a deep breath, slowly releasing it, and stroking the trigger. Hit center mass every time. One more point of approval on the male scale, bathed in acceptance, part of the band, not one of the silly women to be leered at, but not included.

I fit in just fine in the military, too – fond of my uniform, aware of how to fulfill all of the idiosyncratic expectations of supervisors, and able to keep within the lines with ease. I also continued to pride myself on fitting in with the men, scoffing at the weak females who cried for their mommies or exhibited heartbreak when faced with a broken nail or stubbed toe.

Years later, as I reflect back, I realize that I was constantly smothering my initial reactions to every situation since I knew there would be a man who’d have something to say if I had a “soft” response. At the time, I don’t think I was consciously meeting their expectations, but I was definitely tempering my personal instincts to please the mostly-male audience.  (This became such an ingrained habit that I still second-guess which reaction is the real reaction and which is the conditioned one.)

Since growing up, having children and dealing with personal health issues, I’ve had to admit that I am a girl. And that my instinct for nurturing doesn’t make me weak. And that while I love men, there is true value to having (and using) womanly intuition.

I’ve spent the last 18 months working for an advocacy organization. Not just any advocacy organization, an organization that is by women, for women. Business and Professional Women’s Foundation’s roots lie in the early days of suffragettes, and they didn’t stop representing working women once the vote was achieved. Instead, they continued to light the way, providing education and research for underserved working women populations, usually before such support was popular. For example, BPW realized years ago that women veterans needed a voice, and immediately began studying their transition issues in search of answers. I’ve been proud to be a part of the team working on solutions, and have learned much about the true effort that still needs to be put in to continue furthering women’s equality.  (I was especially surprised to find that only in the military are women paid equivalently to men!) This working experience has given me the education on women’s issues that I lacked growing up in the military environment.

During my ongoing search for how to justify my logical, just-fit-in side with the realization that I have to express my real self to achieve true contentment, I was offered a slot in a leadership course by BPW’s CEO, Debbie Frett. In her unwavering dedication to promote only the best and most effective programs for women veterans, Debbie was very clear in her intent to validate the program prior to promoting it or collaborating with the developers. I was very proud to accept and to represent BPW during the program. Named “Leading with Resiliency and Grace,” this was the pilot program aimed at women veterans. Not only were the participants women veterans, the course lead and logistical team were mainly women vets, too.  So, a program for vets, by vets, put on by vets. Woman vets.

Even on active duty, it was rare for me to be in the presence of more than five females at a time. Imagine my surprise upon walking into the conference room for the start of the three-day program and being confronted by the sight of twenty women vets.

Twenty women of all shapes and sizes, spanning all ages and ranks, from opposite corners of the United States. Only two things bound us together: our gender and our military service.

Within the first three hours of gathering, we were crying and sharing and bonding like we’d been the best of friends for years. I realized quickly that the angst and agitation I’d been experiencing for years was due to the suppression of me, of my views and emotions concerning the world around me.  The program showed me what I didn’t know and hadn’t grasped on my own, and that was the degree to which I had been “militarized”- used to operating in a male world, functioning with a male perspective, repressing my own feminine response.

Another valuable point of the learning process was recognizing the similarities among us: each of us had felt lonely, outcast, downtrodden, frustrated, and misunderstood at one point or another in our transitions through life, be it at the age of 24 or 44. We all reveled in the joy of realizing our reactions and situations, while individual, were not unique. No one among us was crazy! What a comfort to hear that others have felt your pain and that you are NOT alone.

As I walked into the room on the morning of day two, one of my fellow participants remarked on the buoyancy of my steps, “You look like you’ve lost twenty pounds!” I told her that not only did I feel like I’d shed the weight holding me down, but that I’d slept like a baby after doing so!

Fast forward to the third and final day. After working through our past, defining our future, and learning how to relate both to our present, we were done. Each of us armed with a Legacy statement, each of us leaving with an arsenal of tools to use daily towards continued growth, each of us bonded together even more deeply than we were upon arrival.  That was the second, unanticipated, but just as valuable outcome – a new peer network with no boundaries. No shame, no secrets, no withholding, just respect, affection, and understanding for each other, and commitments to continue providing support, no matter what.

I’d been searching for a replacement military family since I left the service years ago. But, even though I’ve gathered lots of friends along the way, never had I been able to feel wholly accepted and understood by a group as quickly and sincerely as I was with this group of women.

From the bottom of my heart, I thanked the leaders and participants of the Sunergos’ “Leading with Resiliency and Grace,” a truly mind- and life-altering experience. And, I thank Business and Professional Woman’s Foundation for believing I was worthy of representing them.

(If you are interested in having this experience for yourself, please email pstevenson@sunergosllc.com  and if you are interested in getting involved with Business and Professional Women’s Foundation’s Joining Forces for Women Veterans Mentorship Program, please visit our website at www.bpwfoundation.org)

Posted in Feminism, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Military Families, multigenerational, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out: What a Difference a Year Makes!

Posted by danielleac on November 21, 2011

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

By Danielle Corazza

Over a year ago, I signed on as the woman veteran subject matter expert for Business and Professional Women’s Foundation (BPW), a national non-profit focused on serving the needs of working women, especially underserved populations. As I would soon learn, BPW was among the first organizations to recognize the transition struggles that women veterans were experiencing as growing numbers left the service, and to address the invisibility of women veterans as a unique cohort.

After performing an in-depth study with 3,000 women veterans in 2007, the trends became clear: women veterans were suffering. Issues such as transition and reintegration struggles, trouble securing meaningful employment, and even worse, alarming rates of homelessness, were cropping up in the majority of the women interviewed. BPW knew action was needed. As very few evidenced-based programs existed to aid this population, the next step was to become a force for change, a role BPW is well-versed in as its origins trace back to the suffragette movement.

To heighten awareness of the plights of women veterans and to bring powerful partners that could assist in making a difference on board, the inaugural Joining Forces for Women Veterans Summit was held in October 2010. Representatives from 60 organizations attended, from the White House to AARP to the USO, each with their own ideas and interests, but all focused earnestly on finding solutions for the women veterans.

As I watched from behind-the-scenes during the Summit, I saw many an eye tear up, and truly grasped the fact that this audience cared. Not just the “I sent a contribution” surface attention that most veteran issues receive, but an honest, sincere commitment to make a difference in the lives of the women veterans who needed advocates, helping hands, and guidance to make their transitions to the civilian lives complete.

The year since the Summit has raced by and I’ve watched the astonishing pace with which the women veteran wave has crested, gaining traction in the government, the veteran service organizations, and the corporations who recognize the inherent strength and value women veterans possess. Thanks to the Summit and follow-up efforts, multiple companies have stepped forward to solidify private-public partnerships with BPW that match the best resources from both sides to maximize the contribution to the women veteran effort.

It’s to this point that our latest programming is aimed: how to assist women veterans after they’ve secured meaningful employment, how to help them excel in the civilian workplace and society. Research shows that providing women with mentors accelerates their understanding of external expectations and organizational culture, as well as providing enhanced opportunities for both the mentee and mentor’s promotion and satisfaction. Using this evidence-based foundation for development, BPW has partnered with the US Chamber of Commerce, with support from the White House, to match 10,000 women veterans with mentors by the end of 2012.

To find out how you can help, or to stay abreast of the project as it launches, visit www.bpwfoundation.org.

As more women transition out of the military, I urge you to get involved and stay connected. If you need help, it exists, and if you want to help, an extra pair of hands will never be turned down.

Posted in Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Mentoring Advisory Council, Military, Uncategorized, US Chamber of Commerce, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – A Challenging Decision: Entering a Military Academy

Posted by danielleac on November 7, 2011

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org.

This week’s blog brought to us by Liz Mclean, an Air Force Academy graduate from a small town who has transitioned into the civilian world in search of fulfillment after serving on active duty for four and a half years, both stateside and abroad.

A Challenging Decision:  Entering a Military Academy

While in high-school, the unwavering goal to enter a military academy, to break away from a broken home or home town mentality meant having to be “well-rounded.” You need not just excel academically, but excel physically, also. You have your bright-eyed young female who graduates high school with a 4.5 GPA, runs circles around everyone else athletically, writes for the local paper, studies abroad in Italy, spearheads charity organizations….and doesn’t have time for the typical boy scene.

But she does it and is accepted to the Air Force Academy where she is asked to enter a whole new world of discipline and must redefine her next set of goals. While she realizes that she has in fact been accepted to college, she can’t help but wonder “What’s my next challenge or goal? Am I doing well enough?…I need more.”

An introduction to a military academy would start with your waist long blonde hair being chopped to a shaggy cut of Zach Morris; your femininity and external identity stripped away. You find yourself surrounded by 1200 driven clones (about 10% of which are women), running to class on marble strips…trying to find a way to stand-out without fashion or accessories.

Your confidence as a woman and a human being are completely broken down, to only be built back-up through the most rigorous challenges. Your definition of self is formulated by your ability to balance a full engineering class load, learn a foreign language, speak in front of varied audiences, excel in every graded physical aspect, discipline yourself to make your quarters and uniform sparkle, be tested on leadership…..and still find a way to be conspicuous. From earning your jump wings in the only existing free-fall program,  to volunteering to be the first wave of cadets to ever deploy…you strive to standout in a positive light.

Through all of this you become more professional, and you forge friendships with the few other women who share your common yet unusual ambition and level headedness. These friends will be part of only a small number of others like you will encounter in life, the type of friends that never seem to slow down, but instead, help push each other to the most extreme dimensions.  

While attending school, you also find the love of your life who sees you for who you truly are; uniform and all. Your relationship is challenged by the rules of the military institution, implemented in part because of the abysmal sexual assault scandal that has unjustly taken the institution by storm. As a woman, you feel more alienated than anything because you have to overcome the stereotype of being easily offended and pay for other peoples’ poor judgment. No doors will be closed when with members of the opposite gender, no sitting on the same horizontal surface and no showing any sign of affection whatsoever. Through all of this, (you and your now fiancée) still find yourselves connecting and consistently on the same page as a GI power-couple.

The academy teaches you to be able to take on nearly any challenge placed in front of you…multi-tasking to the ultimate dimension.  You are transferred from the young Zach Morris high-school graduate to someone who is much more polished and is ready to lead hundreds in any capacity. When graduation comes (and your class has been whittled down to less than 800 from 1200), for the first time in your life you cry tears of joy as you catapult your cap into the sky. You are ready for your next dare in life…and you still wonder at the end of it all “What’s my next challenge or goal to achieve? Am I doing well enough?…I need more.”

Stay tuned for more from Liz McLean……

Read another Liz McLean blog.

Posted in Career Advancement, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on October 7, 2011

Empowered Workforces

10 most lucrative careers for women [onlined-degrees]

It’s all in the label: “Mompreneurs” – a marginalizing, cutesy term underestimating this population? [Forbes]

Successful Workplaces

Communications industry keeping up w/ diversity and gender goals – improved in two years [MarketWatch]

Equity
New report finds gender bias in tech field [VentureBeat]

For women on campus; access doesn’t equal success [Chronicle]

Gender pay gap decreases during economic downturn [New York Times]

Not surprisingly, women worse off than men post-recession [AdvisorOne]

Saluting Misbehavin’ Women

Three women win Noble Peace Prize [New York Times]

First woman named as White House usher [Sun Times]

11 National Women’s Hall of Fame Inductees [WomensIssues]

She is crowned homecoming queen and kicked the winning point on the same night [New York Times]

Female engineer part of team hanging from and inspecting Washington Monument [Washington Post]

First woman justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, joined court 30 years ago [Currier-Journal]

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Margaret DeLillo-Storey being inducted into Ohio’s Veteran’s Hall of Fame [Canton Republic]

Army appoints first African-American woman to Two Star General [WFPL]

First female engagement team in Afghanistan makes positive impact [Black Anthem]

Health
Our Bodies Ourselves turns 40 – remains relevant [Women's e-News]

A tale of two countries: the Hyde Amendments turns 35 [American Progress]

Women in science: Universities don’t make the grade [Red Orbit]

Gen Y
For young women more important that work is fun rather than lucrative [Jobs.AOL]

Small Business
Women Entrepreneurs take more risk, not less, no Plan B = compelled to succeed [BNET]

Women owned small businesses court optimism, new hires [Forbes]

Developments in women’s small businesses [PRNewsWire]

Veterans/Military
Joining Forces Summit for Women Veterans to be held in Columbia, South Carolina [Midlands Biz]

Final regulations on federal employees taking leave when family members are deployed issued [Federal Times]

“You Served, You Deserve the Best Care Anywhere” – VA program for women vets [GovHealthIt]

Pink race car honors women veterans [Cincinnati.com]

National Business Women’s Week

Pt Lucie, FL issues NBWW proclamation [TCPalm.com]

Other important news

Women’s Museum in Dallas to close after 11 years and 1.5 million visitors [The Republic]

96 year old woman denied voter ID card in Tennessee [Gawker.com]

Posted in Diversity, Gen Y, Health, Military, Small Business, Successful Workplaces, Woman Misbehavin', Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on September 30, 2011

Equity

Equality is good for business [Democrat and Chronicle]

The need for gender equality on TV [Think Progress]

Where have all of the female coaches gone? [Hattiesburg American]

Girls playing sports with boys [Times Union]

Saudi Monarch grants women right to vote (but can’t drive to the polls) [New York Times]

Successful Workplaces

Best cities for women in business [Forbes]

Women led start ups key to economic recovery [Fast Company]

Kathleen Parker:  What do women want in the workplace? More women [Press Herald]

Top women leaders: higher ambition creates equal, if not more value then men [Forbes]

Empowered Workforce

Jarrett-Tchen op ed: Helping women reach their economic potential [Washington Post]

Role of gender in workplace negotiations [Science Codex]

Women top men as social communicators [MediaPost]

Work-Life Balance

Report: Eldercare the new childcare? [WorkFamily]

White House and National Science Foundation announce new workplace flexibility policies.  Should help women in STEM [WorkFamily]

Health

Executive women and eating disorders [Forbes]

Drinking coffee linked to less depression in women [New York Times]

Saluting Misbehavin’ Women

Another American Legion elects its first female commander [NWI Times]

USS Patriot’s trailblazing female commander not looking back [Stripes]

Kagan establishes herself as power during first year on court [Washington Post]

Military/Veterans

VA hospitals continue reaching out to women vets and improving care [ABC Local]

Australian women to be allowed in frontline combat [IB Times]

Small Business

November 26 is Small Business Saturday [Entrepreneur]

Gen Y

Gen Y women and the recession [IB Times]

Other Important News

Federal definition of rape called too narrow [New York Times]

New report says single sex education is ineffective [New York Times]

Posted in Feminism, Link Love, Military, Small Business, Successful Workplaces, Women Veterans, Worklife Balance | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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