The VA motto, which is taken from Lincoln's second inaugural speech, addresses veterans with the male pronoun. Some veterans want to change the wording to include women.
Female veterans have higher rates of depression and suicide than their male counterparts. Advocates say the VA must step up its efforts to reach women who need help and may not be seeking it.
Bobi Oates didn’t want to be an airplane mechanic; she wanted to be a cop. And she was … sort of. After getting an associate’s degree in criminal justice, she landed a job as deputy sheriff for a small county in Vermont, where she was raised. This was the ’70s, when, to get to the big leagues of policing, women had to meet the same requirements as men.
Women make up almost 15 percent of those actively serving in the military. How are their experiences different from men's? And when they return from combat and overseas service, what trauma do they deal with? How do women deal with post-deployment life differently than men? UNLV hosts its women veterans conference this week.
Veterans face a lot of issues when they end their service - like PTSD and trying to collect benefits. But what issues do female veterans face? We talk to a panel of women who have served. If you have a story, call us at 258-3552 during the program or e-mail son@knpr.org. More