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

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Veteran Mildred (Millie) Davidson Inks Dalrymple.  Millie served during World War II from 1943-1944. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

The Commerce.Innovated virtual accelerator program for innovative startups in commerce, payments, and fintech is now accepting applications – women Veteran entrepreneurs can learn more at our website. [From Commerce.Innovated]

Whether you are separating from service, recovering from an injury or starting a family, VA offers comprehensive services to help you lead a healthy lifestyle.  Join us for a Facebook Live event on March 20th from 2-3pm (EDT) featuring representatives from VA and Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).  Learn what we do differently, and how VA’s whole health approach can help you live life to the fullest.  Register now!

A young female pilot showed her then 91-year-old guest the F-16 Fighting Falcon she flew at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.  The younger pilot thanked Betty “Tack” Blake several times as she talked about her job, so Blake finally asked the young captain why she was thanking her. [From Military.com]

When the U.S. Navy sought the first female sailors to serve on submarines, Suraya Mattocks raised her hand because she thought it would be a cool job, not because she wanted to blaze a trail.  She did anyway. [From AP News]

Since the rise of the #MeToo movement, Mikiba W. Morehead has seen an increase in the number of Baylor College of Medicine students and employees sharing survivor stories about sexual abuse and harassment.  “We have seen a small uptick in individuals who want to share their stories and their experiences from multiple years ago, and they are attributing it directly to the #MeToo movement,” said Morehead, the Title IX and student disability coordinator at Baylor’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Inclusion & Equity. [From TMC News]

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941, as men throughout the country signed up to be shipped out to Europe and the Pacific, 26-year-old Betty Somppi, of Erie, Pennsylvania, would do the same.  She became one of the first women to be a part of the Women Auxiliary Army Corp – a women’s branch of the United States Army before female soldiers were integrated into the male units. [From Las Cruces Sun News]

The U.S. Marine Corps has asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to pursue a Dropbox folder reported to contain hundreds of nude photos of female service members, the service said Friday.  The website “Hoes Hoin,” was first reported on by VICE News and according to the report, contains photographs of women from all services. [From Marine Corps Times]

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Friday that Jill Dietrich will take over as director of the Dayton VA Medical Center after former director Glenn Costie retired in the fall.  Dietrich is expected to assume the role in 30-45 days. [From Dayton Daily News]

Three more women are about to attempt the challenging 13-week Infantry Officer Course at Quantico, Virginia.  To date, only 35 women have attempted the notoriously challenging infantry school.  Come the first week of April, that number will be 38. [From Marine Corps Times]

The nation’s largest hardware retailer wants to bring back the bygone era of shop class, with a $50 million commitment to train thousands of skilled laborers over the next decade, representatives for The Home Depot Foundation announced Wednesday.  The bulk of the funds will go toward programs for approximately 15,000 transitioning service members and veterans, with classes on military installations in carpentry, plumbing and related fields. [From Military Times]

The U.S. Air Force taught me how to defend and serve my country.  After four years in uniform, I felt confident in my skills and prepared for whatever challenge might present itself while on active duty. [From Cleveland.com]

Msgt. Frieda M. Lambrecht was a Veteran of both World War II and Korean War.  She served during an era when opportunities for women in the military were expanding. [From VAntage Point]

The following is the second post in a six-part series highlighting women Veterans’ collections from the Veterans History Project (VHP) archive in recognition of Women’s History Month.  Since the first battle was fought, they’ve been there.  Women in the military have emerged from only being allowed to work as spies or in traditional support capacities, such as cooks and nurses, to becoming pilots, drivers and mechanics, to now fighting alongside their male counterparts in combat. [From Library of Congress]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Nurse Corps Veteran Rae Mary Leff.  Rae served during the Vietnam War for one year. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Rae!

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Rhonda K. Stilley Allison.  Rhonda served from 1989-1995 on active duty during the Persian Gulf War and in the Reserves. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Rhonda!

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Nurse Corps Veteran Helene Agatha Haile.  Helene served during the Korean War from July 1951 to September 1953. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Helene!

Born on April 18, 1920, Eloise Marie Richardson was the second eldest daughter of William Floyd and Cora (Corrigan) Richardson.  William worked as a millwright and maintained the machinery at National Biscuit Company, and Cora stayed home to tend to their home and children. [From Understanding Sacrifice]

Florence got her pilot license around 1943 and she was part of the US Women’s Airforce Service Pilots during World War II.  The Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) were the United States’ “first women pilots of military planes” and they flew every kind of Army Air Force plane. [From University of Central Florida and National Cemetery Administration]

Frieda M. (Wond) Lambrecht served with the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II and the Korean War.  1 She was born on August 31, 1913, in Gelsencherkin, Germany, to Karl Wond and Ida Charcolla. [From University of Central Florida and National Cemetery Administration]

Mary Gilligan Sutherland served in the US Navy and achieved the rank of Yeoman F 1st Class at a time when few women served in the military. The F stood for female. She was the daughter of Irish American immigrants, seen in the Massachusetts Birth Records, as John Gilligan and Nellie (Ellen) Dillon. [From University of Central Florida and National Cemetery Administration]

In February 2018, the Veteran unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, down from 3.9 percent in February 2017.  The non-Veteran unemployment rate for February 2018 was 4.3 percent (not seasonally adjusted). [From U.S. Department of Labor]

The following is the first post in a six-part series highlighting women Veterans’ collections from the Veterans History Project (VHP) archive in recognition of Women’s History Month.  Imagine coming across this job announcement today: Candidates must be highly skilled in math and linguistics, willing to relocate and able to keep a secret to the death.  Only college age women with no imminent wedding plans need apply. [From Library of Congress]

A naval aviator is in the running to become the Navy’s first female commanding officer of an aircraft carrier in the service’s history.  Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt is the executive officer of the carrier Abraham Lincoln, one of 11 aircraft carriers stationed around the world. [From Navy Times]

What do Joan of Arc and Eleanor Roosevelt have in common?  They represent two of only 10 statues depicting women among the hundreds that grace the parks and squares of our nation’s capital. [From Center for a New American Security]

Although we might not know of other women who secretly came before them, these are the first women in each U.S. military service noted in history books today.  Who were these trailblazers?  Here are their stories. [From Military.com]

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked when people find out I’m a Veteran is, “But you didn’t go in harm’s way, did you?”  I’ve been asked this question since I first joined the Navy. [From Center for a New American Security]

Major Cushman, as she was known in the Civil War, was an actress, an Army officer, and a spy.  She received a hero’s funeral.  This is her story. [From YouTube]

January opened with President Donald Trump’s directive to the various Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security to formulate a “Joint Action Plan” for supporting Veterans in their transition to civilianhood by expanding suicide prevention resources.  January ended with the viral video of a California schoolteacher lambasting present, past, and future Veterans as the “freakin’ lowest of the low” – society’s permanent failures – to a classroom of underage students. [From War on the Rocks]

During World War II, Leonida “Nida” Clarete-Watson was a little girl, but she remembers crawling on her hands and knees, head down to avoid Japanese machine gun fire, as she carried precious, lifesaving cargo – sweet potatoes – to American soldiers hiding in a cave. [From The News-Review]

Sexual trauma can be especially damaging for members of the military, where the perpetrator may be a commander and have access to weapons. [From Texas Public Radio]

It took decades for Jeannine McDonald to finally admit she was struggling with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.  When she did, that itself was devastating. [From Military Times]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Nurse Corps Veteran Rita Maryann Purchase Burkart.  Rita served during World War II. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

Here in Virginia, this March gives us the opportunity to specifically recognize the accomplishments of our women Veterans.  We can all be proud that the General Assembly has passed resolutions that proclaim the third full week of March (March 18-24 for 2018) as Women Veterans Week in Virginia this year and each succeeding year. [From Virginia Department of Veterans Services]

When Rena Nessler was commander of the Department of New York’s 7th District, a fellow Legionnaire approached her during a membership drive.  “It is so nice to see the Auxiliary here helping The American Legion,” he said to Nessler, who was wearing her Legion cap at the time. [From The American Legion]

Kathy Keefer had no idea that Fort McClellan was adjacent to one of the nation’s most contaminated communities when she returned for her second Army stint in 1987 while pregnant with her eldest daughter.  She didn’t know that decades of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) pollution from the nearby Monsanto plant had permeated the tree bark in Anniston, Ala., and turned domestic pigs into hazardous waste. [From The American Legion]

The Ohio-class guided missile submarine Florida is the second sub in the Navy fleet to incorporate integrated male-female crews, according to The Jacksonville Florida Union-Times.  The Florida, of Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, follows the Michigan from Bangor, Washington, which welcomed enlisted women to its crews in 2016. [From Navy Times]

The Marines will join Marine Combat Training Bn. at Camp Pendleton continuing the integration of entry-level training and facilitating an environment that reflects the operating forces. Approximately 1,700 women will be trained at MCT-West annually. [From Facebook]

What Does A Woman Veteran Look Like?  Portrait project by James R. and Mara Morrison in featured in Homeland Magazine “Celebrate Women’s History Month” Issue. [From Homeland Magazine]

Marian “Nan” Somes was a nurse during one of the most brutal battles of World War II. [From Indy Star]

The Hardwater Warriors and Alaska’s Healing Hearts came together to provide an all female Veteran's ice fishing event. [From Facebook]

A group of 40 female Marines are about to start training at a combat school reserved for non-infantry Marines aboard Camp Pendleton, California, a first in Marine Corps history.  The group of women will embark on a 29-day course, known as Marine Combat Training Battalion, or MCT, in infantry training and tactics alongside male Marines. [From Marine Corps Times]

Once considered controversial, the use of eye movements to treat trauma in military women has gained mainstream acceptance. [From Nation Swell]

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Veteran Affairs Center in Harlingen hosted an exhibit Tuesday.  It showcased portraits of female Veterans from the Rio Grande Valley. [From KRGV 5 News]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Eva Romero Jacques.  Eva served during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Eva!

Mary Sutherland was a pioneer in the movement for the equality of women in America.  As a Navy Veteran of World War I, she was one of the earliest women allowed to enlist in the Navy. [From VAntage Point]

Throughout American history, women have been quick to put on a uniform in defense of the nation.  Read more » [From VFW March 2018 Magazine]

A report comparing female Veterans to women who did not serve in the military shows the Veterans are better educated and earn more.  Read more » [From VFW March 2018 Magazine]

VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System hosted a ceremony in observance of this year’s Women History Month by recognizing Women Veterans within our communities. The ceremony took place March 2, 2018 at the VA Health Care Center at Harlingen, Texas. [From VAntage Point]

Amber Smith is a former Army helicopter pilot who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning to school eight years ago to get an advanced degree and begin her own firm consulting on veterans and national security affairs.  A stint as press secretary for caucus operations at the Republican National Convention led to her assignment to the Pentagon for what may have been her toughest mission: Bridging the gaping civilian-military divide. [From Washington Examiner]

Japan’s navy on Tuesday appointed the first woman to command a warship squadron, including the flagship Izumo helicopter carrier, as it tries to lure more females to make up for a dearth of male recruits in graying Japan.  Ryoko Azuma, will command four ships with a combined crew of 1,000, of which only 30 are women, that make up the Maritime Self Defense Force’s (MSDF) First Escort Division. [From Reuters]

Retired Gen. Ann Dunwoody served nearly four decades in the U.S. military and in 2008 became the first female four-star general officer in the U.S. military.  “I never heard the words ‘glass ceiling’ or ‘brass ceiling’ in my house,” she says in the latest edition of “She Made It,” Megyn Kelly TODAY’s salute to Women’s History Month. [From Today]

Two years after the Defense Department ordered the Marine Corps to open all combat arms career fields to women, less than 100 women have successfully entered those previously male-only jobs.  A total of 92 women are operating in a multitude of combat billets across the Corps, from rifleman to armored reconnaissance to combat engineers. [From Marine Corps Times]