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

Col. Scott Jensen was hopeful.  After months of research, he and his team at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., had compiled a briefing for general officers that suggested new ways to tackle an online culture of misogyny, harassment and retaliation among Marines, and they had the support of Jensen’s boss. [From The Washington Post]

Oprah Winfrey gives a shoutout to military women in her Golden Globes speech. [From YouTube]

Staff Sergeant Torie Fisher knows the UH-60 Blackhawk.  Fisher did two combat tours in Iraq--first with the Army’s 1st Armored Division in 2004, and then later in 2007 as a Blackhawk crew chief and door gunner with the Army National Guard. [From Military.com]

The WASP corps offered women the opportunity to fly in a time when fewer than 1% of Americans had pilot’s licenses. [From Teen Vogue]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Daniell Pollock and her #OperationSong, “My Singing Voice.”  In 2011, Daniell joined the Army to follow in the footsteps of the men in her family. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Daniell!

VA will use feedback, requested through responses to questions, to guide any future regulatory modifications to support family caregivers of Veterans most in need, while also improving the program under the current law.  Read more »

Octavia Harris, a retired U.S. Navy command master chief petty officer, has been named chairwoman of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. [From ExecutiveGov]

Zimbabwe’s Anti-Poaching Success: In between nursing, women hold the front line. [From The Guardian]

Crystal Murphy served as a firefighter and EMT with Lacey Fire District 3 for nine years. [From The Seattle Times]

Each year HillVets recognizes 100 members of the Veteran community as the HillVets 100. Last year’s honorees included VA employees, journalists, advocates and activists, military spouses and more Veterans and supporters. [From VAntage Point]

Each year the VA’s National Veterans Outreach Office, in conjunction with the Veterans Day National Committee, publishes a commemorative Veterans Day poster.  The poster is selected from artwork submitted by artists nationwide and is distributed to VA facilities, military installations around the world across cities and town in our nation.  It also serves as the cover of the official program for the Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Tuesday that Octavia Harris, a San Antonio-area Veteran, is the new chairwoman of the National Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, a panel that advises the VA secretary on issues important to women Veterans, their families and their caregivers. [From Texas Public Radio]

I was first introduced to Leaphy Khim through Got Your 6.  She had shared her experiences at their Storytellers event in Los Angeles. [From VAntage Point]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is accepting applications for the 2018 National Veterans Wheelchair Games.  Registration began January 2 and will close April 15, 2018.  The 2018 National Veterans Wheelchair Games will take place in Orlando, Florida from July 30 – Aug 4. [From VAntage Point]

The event is envisioned to allow military women and their supporters throughout the Washington area to raise awareness, show solidarity and share stories about sexual assault and harassment in the military. [From Stars and Stripes]

On July 22, I ended my active-duty service with the Marine Corps and started a 100-day run across the country.  I decided to leave the Corps for a variety of reasons; some cultural, some personal, but mostly because I didn’t want to move every three years. [From Task & Purpose]

Retired Army Master Sgt. Lisa Beth Davis made an appearance as a ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant on Tuesday, walking away with second place and $2,000. [From Army Times]

Elinor Otto, widely known as the last Rosie the Riveter, joined the head of Air Mobility Command on a C-17 flight over California Monday to educate and inspire the next generation of airmen. [From Air Force Times]

Ask enough women Veterans about their own experiences with homelessness and you hear a consistent refrain – that they were “unprepared” for life after the military, that homelessness “surprised” them, and that they were consequently unable to plan for it.  In an effort to better understand the topic overall, we surveyed almost 3,000 women Veterans – from every service era from World War II to the present – about housing issues and homelessness after military service. [From The Huffington Post]

Craig and AnnaBelle Bryan are Veterans and psychologists running the National Center for Veterans Studies, where they research and develop suicide-prevention methods and treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder. [From Stars and Stripes]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Jennifer Marshall.  Jennifer served from 1999 to 2004. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your serivce, Jennifer!

Air Force photographer Stacy Pearsall has followed Special Ops teams into battle, captured brutal civilian war torn images and showed us the human side of war, but now, Pearsall has turned her camera in a new direction—toward her fellow servicemen and women. [From Parade]

Meet Heather Osborne, the Veterans Benefits Administration s lead contracting analyst in the Benefits Assistance Service, where she manages contracts that provide and bridge critical services for Veterans. [From VAntage Point]