News
Serving in Silence: Survey Shows Only One Dishonorable Discharge for Sexual Assault in the National Guard
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The NBC investigation team sent a survey to the 50 state Guard units in the nation as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. They received responses from 40 out of 54 units, the first publicly available numbers on what happens to those accused of raping or sexually assaulting their fellow service members. What happens to those accused of rape or sexual assault in the National Guard varies dramatically depending on what state you work in. 28 out of the 40 states who participated in the survey have the ability to conduct a court-martial or the equivalent of a military Article 32 hearing. Only six (Arkansas, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin) have held a court-martial in the last five years to specifically investigate an allegation of sexual assault.
"There Was Beauty & There Was Horror — Both Coexisted"
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 | Category: History/Heritage - National
This powerful expose shares interviews with several women who served in the U.S. military. Most shared one thing in common: "they were proud of their service and the barriers they were able to break down while in uniform."
Military Sexual Assault Reform Stalls Again
Saturday, June 27, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
RH Reality Check's Emily Crockett reported that "The U.S. Senate blocked a vote to include the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA) as an amendment to the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment failed on a 50-49 vote; it had majority support, but did not get the 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster. Last year, the MJIA fell five votes short of overcoming a filibuster." Reform has been an arduous effort the past few years with staunch opposition despite the Department of Defense's own facts and survivors' testimonies. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, relentlessly pursues the issue understanding that the system wasn't working and still isn’t working now.
Rethinking Prosthetics for Female Veterans
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 | Category: Prosthetics - National
There are many prosthetic designs in the market, but many of them are unisex and cannot always fulfill needs specific to women. Andrea Ippolito (Department of Veterans Affairs fellow), Dara Dotz (works 3-D imaging and STEM), and Heather Irvine (Marketing and Creative Director at the The Ipsos Girls’ Lounge) are teaming up and hope to bring more attention to their cause and help female veterans.
Prosthetics with pizazz for female veterans spotlighted at D.C. festival
Friday, June 12, 2015 | Category: Prosthetics - National
There are women in combat who are coming back injured and a greater percentage, 6 percent, of female service members suffered such injuries in non-battle situations. Female amputees have a very difficult time finding artificial limbs that fit their smaller bodies, including narrower shoulders and wider hips. There are partnerships between industry and the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on manufacturing female-friendly prosthetics that are designed for more healthy living and will help them "step out in style."
VA May Be Saving Veterans From Suicide
Thursday, June 11, 2015 | Category: Suicide - National
A VA study found that women veterans commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of other women. Also noted was that veterans enrolled in VA care, had lower rates of suicide. Women veteran rates, across all generations, remained elevated whereas rates for male veterans were elevated only for those under 50 years old.
Women in Combat, Immigration Profiled in Reservist's Film
Monday, June 1, 2015 | Category: History/Heritage - National
Army Reserve Capt. Rebecca Murga's new short film, "American Girl," tells the story of women in combat ranks. Murga, a filmmaker, photographer and writer, follows a young woman's experience in becoming a soldier who eventually serves in Afghanistan.
A Band of Sisters on the Special Ops Battlefield
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 | Category: History/Heritage - National
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon,a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the New York Times best seller, discusses her book "Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield," In 2011, women served on night raids alongside American and Afghan special operations fighters while the ban on women in ground combat remained effective. Lt. White, on her nation's behalf, faced a selection process aimed at finding the most elite women soldiers for some of America's most important and dangerous wartime missions. Few in the nation knew this.
Honoring Women in the Military
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 | Category: History/Heritage - Florida
Captain Nori Ann Reed of Sanibel was the first woman assigned onboard Navy ships, and later was the first woman to have the honor of being Captain of three Navy ships. Colonel Catherine Scott entered the US Air Force in 1974 and was the first woman to command an Air Force ROTC unit in the US.
Lt. Col. Says Speaking Up About Assault Hurt Her Career
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - West Virginia
Lt. Col. Teresa James of the West Virginia Army National Guard will be medically retired after 35 years in the Guard. She believes she is being retaliated against after reporting a 2006 rape by a senior officer.