The Growing Needs of Women Veterans: Is the VA Ready?

by: Kayla Williams

Wed May 20, 2009 at 13:58:33 PM EDT

Here are my remarks from the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs roundtable discussion "The Growing Needs of Women Veterans: Is the VA Ready?":

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for hearing me speak today.  On behalf of women veterans, I would like to thank you all for your commitment to meeting the changing needs of our Nation's veterans.

My name is Kayla Williams. As a Soldier with the 101st Airborne Division, I took part in the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, and was there for approximately one year. As an Arabic linguist, I went on combat foot patrols with the Infantry in Baghdad. During the initial invasion, my team came under small arms fire. Later, in Mosul, we were mortared regularly. I served right alongside my male peers: with our flak vests on during missions, we were all truly Soldiers first.

However, it became apparent upon our return that the public did not understand what it is like to be a woman in today's military. I was asked whether as a woman I was allowed to carry a gun, and was also asked if I was in the Infantry. This confusion about what role women play in war today extends beyond the general public; even Veterans Affairs (VA) employees are still sometimes unclear on the nature of modern warfare, which presents challenges for women seeking care. For example, being in combat is linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but since women are supposedly barred from combat, they may face challenges proving that their PTSD is service-connected. One of my closest friends was told by a VA doctor that she could not possibly have PTSD for just this reason: he did not believe that she as a woman could have been in combat. It is vital that all VA employees, particularly health care providers, fully understand that women do see combat in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom so that they can better serve women veterans.

In addition to facing additional challenges establishing the service-connected nature of their health needs, women veterans may also struggle to balance their own needs with the needs of their families. Since women are more likely to be the primary caregivers of small children, they may need help getting childcare so they can attend appointments at the VA or pursue college degrees. Currently, many VA facilities are not prepared to accommodate the presence of children; friends have described having to change babies' diapers on the floors of VA hospitals because the restrooms lacked changing facilities. Childcare assistance, along with facilities in which to nurse and change babies, would ease burdens on veterans with small children.

Women in the military are also far more likely to be married to other servicemembers; throughout the Department of Defense (DoD), 51.3% of married female enlisted active duty personnel reported being in dual-service marriages, compared to only 8.1% of their male counterparts (1).  These women veterans must worry not only about their own readjustments, but also their husbands' challenges. The VA must consider the dual role that women veterans may be balancing as both givers and seekers of care. My husband was severely injured in Iraq. This impacted my decision not to reenlist, because he needed assistance that he simply was not getting. In addition, I was so focused on his recovery that I barely considered my own needs. It was years before I realized that as both a caregiver and a veteran I needed to not simply "suck it up and drive on," as the Army taught, but rather had to reach out for help and support.

When struggling to cope with invisible wounds of war such as PTSD, or when simply facing challenges readjusting post-combat, peer support can be vital. However, there are things about my experience as a woman in a war zone that my male peers do not understand. They cannot truly know what it is like to fear not only the enemy, but also sexual assault from your brothers in arms. They may be aware of, but not be able to fully empathize with, the challenges of facing regular sexual harassment. And they certainly do not understand what it is like to feel invisible as a veteran, as many women veterans do. It is therefore vital that the VA provide times or places where women veterans, especially those who may have experienced military sexual trauma, can feel safe and comfortable seeking help in a community of their peers.  

In order to best meet the needs of veterans, I also urge the development of enhanced relationships not only between the DoD and VA but also with those community organizations that are ready and willing to fill gaps in services. Public-private partnerships allow all of us to come together to meet the needs of our veterans in innovative and exciting ways.

Thank you for working to assess and improve services for women veterans.

1 - "Population Representation in the Military Services," Table 3.7, FY2004, available at: http://www.defenselink.mil/prh...