You've Come A Long Way Baby

In early October, long after Memorial Day parades had come to a halt and while Veterans’ Day ceremonies were still off in the distance, Dr. Linda S. Schwartz, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs, spoke to a group of about 50 U.S. Navy veterans who had gathered for a quiet reunion in Enfield.

Many of the veterans were elderly. They came from all over New England to reconnect with old friends and reminisce about old times in the service.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” Dr. Schwartz asked metaphorically. “You ladies are pioneers,” she told them. “If you hadn’t done such a wonderful job and proved yourselves to be such a valuable asset to the nation, I don’t think they would have let the rest of us come.”

Dr. Schwartz was speaking to group of women veterans who had served as WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The women of the WAVES had many different jobs and responsibilities during these conflicts, but their primary role was to serve on shore duty in order to release men for deployment at sea.

Women have gained a lot of ground in the military since the WAVES served many decades ago, Dr. Schwartz told the veterans. “Not only are women serving on ships today, they’re commanding ships at sea. They’re pilots. They’re commanders in the field,” she said.

Dr. Schwartz herself, the first woman to be in charge of the Connecticut VA since it opened in 1863, is a living example of the progress women have made in the military. Another example is Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz who recently became the first woman to lead the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London. Today, almost 20 percent of the U.S. military are women (including active duty, reserves and National Guard).

All this progress, however, has not come without pain.

There are over 1.8 million women veterans in the U.S. and more than 15,000 in Connecticut. Sexual abuse, homelessness and difficultly transitioning into civilian life are problems these women are facing at increasing rates.

Dr. Schwartz reported that 25 percent of women serving today in the US military are victims of sexual assault. Marie Walsh, a member of the WAVES who served during World War II, said women today certainly face different kinds of challenges than she faced in her day when the military separated men and women. “Women have gained a lot, but I think they’ve lost some too,” she said. “We were always treated with respect. We never had any harassment. I never had an unkind word said to me by anybody in the service.” On the other hand, Walsh recalled that WAVES women would be discharged immediately upon getting married and that benefits such as maternity leave were completely “unheard of”.

Dr. Schwartz noted that women veterans today are also facing homelessness in larger numbers than ever before. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, female veterans are growing within the overall homeless population and women veterans have a much higher risk of homelessness than their male counterparts.

Job placement is a growing problem as well. Dr. Schwartz told the story of a young female veteran whose military duties had included communicating coordinates to submarines at sea for launching missiles during the War on Terror. When the woman returned to civilian life and paid a visit to the Department of Labor, she was told she was qualified to be a waitress or a receptionist. She found a job as a waitress.

The good news, according to Dr. Schwartz, is that “resources for women veterans are becoming much more accessible and prevalent.” In addition to the CT VA and groups like the WAVES who support women veterans, members of other public and private organizations are working quietly all year long to help these new young pioneers find their way.

One such organization is called the Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation (http://www.bpwfoundation.org/). The aforementioned waitress shared her story at a conference sponsored by BPW not long ago. Someone at the conference heard her story, discovered she wanted to become a nurse, and found a scholarship to send her to nursing school. She’s on her way.

Commissioner Schwartz praised BPW for their efforts to help women veterans. “They’re savvy ladies,” she said. “They’re very successful, and they’ve decided to help women veterans today find good jobs and good training so they can be successful too. When I heard they were on our side I knew we were going to win.”

“Do you remember the term ‘good ol’ boy network’?” Schwartz asked the WAVES ladies. “Now we have the ‘good ol’ girl’ network, and we’re all part of it.” She urged them, and anyone, to call her office if they know of any woman veteran who needs help.

Military women have indeed come a long way, but it appears there is still a long way to go.

Link: www.ct.gov/ctva