Life After Service: The Path of a Woman Veteran

Veterans comprise about 7.6% of the United States population and, of those twenty million Veterans, only about 10% are women. Clearly, when women separate from the military and disperse into civilian life, their numbers in communities across the country are scant at best. Low base rates in American towns and cities and a general lack of recognition of women’s military service relative to that of men’s coupled with the host of challenges of transition faced by all Veterans can result in uphill struggles for women Veterans – even in the best of circumstances. Belonging and connection are critical for all human beings and arguably even more important for women Veterans who have walked this rare path of service and faced these unique triumphs and challenges. The Women Veterans Network (WoVeN) is designed to help women Veterans find one another and build connections in their local communities and nationally with other women Veterans. WoVeN is a Veteran-led social network and includes an eight-week program in which women Veterans meet for about 90 minutes per week and build connections through the course of a curriculum designed specifically to meet the unique needs of women Veterans.

The importance of WoVeN to our membership is both humbling and inspiring and has far exceeded our expectations. Beyond building friendships and networks with other women, we have found that WoVeN members stand strong for those who need a shoulder to lean on – in fact, the stories of support and strength within the membership never cease to amaze. As one of our women recently told us, WoVeN is the first place in eleven years since separating from service that she feels whole again. In our most recent national event, we traveled as a group to the Women’s War Memorial in Arlington Cemetery. There are no words to describe walking through those halls and viewing the displays of the women who wore the uniform, hearing their stories, and sharing their sorrows as we honored those who did not come home. In our final reflections later that weekend, one of our women described how she has never stood and been recognized as a Veteran in public places (like ball games, etc.). Interestingly, she said that her male Veteran spouse did stand and accept the applause (rightly so!). She went on to say that she had shed her Veteran identity long ago and some of this decision was largely due to the idea that she was often not recognized as a Veteran, often got asked if she was her husband’s caregiver at Veteran events, and she simply got sick of being second-guessed about her service. From the back of the room, another Veteran yelled – “After joining us in WoVeN, will you stand up now?” To which this Veteran replied, “Every time!” And the room erupted in applause.

WoVeN is a place for women Veterans by women Veterans. Women apply to the program from all over the country and we fly our Veterans in to our weekend workshops (upcoming trainings in Orlando Florida in December, San Diego in February, and Boston or Philadelphia in June, 2020!). To the woman, WoVeN peer leaders leave these workshops with a real sense of sisterhood and go on to bring the program back to their towns and cities and foster this same sense of belonging and connection with more and more women Veterans. If you are interested in joining our community, there is no cost and the benefits are immeasurable. Check us out on http://www.wovenwomenvets.org and apply to become a WoVeN peer leader or join one of our groups as a group member. As our members say, “WoVeN for Life”!