U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CWV - News Update

Ah, the glass ceiling.  There it floats, just overhead.  It’s so alluringly crystal-clear, so temptingly translucent, it’s easy to convince yourself it isn’t really there – right up until the moment you crash it into it full-tilt. [From The Baltimore Sun]

Female Veterans are committing suicide at 250 percent the rate of female civilians, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.  In Connecticut, at least 10 of the 50 Veterans who committed suicide in 2014, the most recent data available, were women. [From The Day]

Concluding a week of firsts for female officers in the Marine Corps, military officials announced Friday, Sept. 29, that the first woman is set to graduate from the 12-week Assault Amphibian Officer Course.  The female graduate will be the first in the Marine Corps to be awarded the military occupational specialty to become an Assault Amphibious Vehicle platoon commander. [From Task & Purpose]

For the U.S. Air Force, the case of alleged sexual harassment and assault by a senior officer was exactly the type of misconduct Pentagon leaders had promised Congress and the public they would no longer tolerate.  The victim at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama reported in September 2015 that her married boss, a colonel, had repeatedly said he wanted to have sex with her, tracked her movements and sent her recordings of him masturbating in the shower, documents show. [From The Washington Post]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Edith “René” Porter-Stewart.  René served from 1989 to 2006 as a Navy Chaplain. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, René!

A unique expo highlighting women entrepreneurs and female Veterans is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7, at Phoenixville Area Middle School.  The 2017 Women Entrepreneur & Women Veteran Expo will give women from different business areas the opportunity to connect with each other to educate, share information and inspire other women to become business owners, according to organizer Dolores Winston, founder and CEO of Here to Apparel. [From The Mercury Business]

The annual Women Veteran Conference was held Friday in Sioux Falls.  The event was put on by the Sioux Falls VA. [From KSFY ABC]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Linda Marie Hooks.  Linda served from 1973 to 1998 during the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Linda!

Suicide among Veterans is 22 percent higher than for civilians of the same age.  The VA and the Pentagon have been studying how to prevent suicides. [From NPR]

Earlier this month, the Department of Veterans Affairs released an updated version of its “Veteran Suicide Statistics by State” report, the most comprehensive examination of veteran suicide in American history which analyzed over 55 million records from 1979 to 2014 from all 50 states and four territories. [From The Hill]

Suicide Prevention Month is coming to an end, but the efforts do not stop there.  One thing I find important in addressing suicide prevention is thinking how we can truly prevent suicidal behavior. [From VAntage Point]

VA plans to redesign the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program to enable service members to receive disability benefit decisions the day after their discharge.  The redesigned program will go into effect October 1. [From VAntage Point]

Allison Jaslow did two tours in Iraq, rising all the way up to Army platoon leader.  When she came home in 2008, she admits she felt invisible. [From Fox 5]

An event focusing on female Veterans was held at the La Crosse Center Tuesday.  The event was hosted by the Tomah VA and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. [From WEAU 13 News]

A unique archive portrays servicewomen more truly than official recruitment ads. [From Timeline]

Georgia women who have served in the military now have a new office solely focused on serving them.  The Women Veterans Office opened this week in Atlanta inside the Georgia Department of Veterans Service’s central office, a news release said. [From The Telegraph]

Suicide is a public health crisis and VA is launching a national effort to reduce suicide by identifying the warning signs, pointing people to the best resources, and showing how everyone can help.  Over the past 14 years, suicide among civilian adults has increased by 23 percent, but among Veterans it is up 31 percent. [From VAntage Point]