Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, first woman and first nonphysician to become the Army’s surgeon general, was promoted and assumed her new duties at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., on Dec. 7.

She took command of Medical Command at a ceremony on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, two days earlier.

She succeeds Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, who is retiring after more than three decades of service.

“We are dedicated to identifying and caring for soldiers who have sustained physical and psychological trauma associated with a protracted war,” Horoho said at the Dec. 7 ceremony. “A focus on wellness and prevention will ensure that our soldiers are ready to heed the nation’s call.”

Read the entire story at Armytimes.com

UNITED STATES SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2011

CONTACTS:

Menendez Press Office 202-224-4744

Senator Menendez Reiterates Call for Timely DoD Report on Women in the Armed Forces

Outdated policies may cause Servicewomen to lose the ground they’ve gained as a result of their role in current conflicts

Washington, DC – In anticipation of the Department of Defense’s review of the laws, policies, and regulations that restrict the service of female Servicemembers as required by the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for FY2011, Senator Menendez reiterated his call for the Department of Defense (DOD) to detail the capacity in which the 255,000 women who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have served, and discuss ways to reconcile its combat exclusion policy with the realities on the ground whereby female Servicemembers are being “attached” to combat arms units that consistently engage the enemy on the ground with weapons.

“Female servicemembers have made tremendous contributions to our national defense, and the fact that 174 servicewomen have been killed and 845 have been wounded serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan tells me that we need to make sure the Defense Department’s policies reflect the critical role women are playing in today’s armed forces,” said Menendez. “Only if we acknowledge their present engagement will they be eligible for the advancement opportunities they deserve, and will we ensure that in the future, the most qualified troops are fielded, regardless of gender.”

This past June, Senator Menendez and his colleagues sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense requesting more details about whether the training, opportunities for promotion, and medical treatment of female servicemembers reflect their increasing role in combat situations. In a response from Clifford Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Senator Menendez was informed that his concerns would be addressed in the pending DOD comprehensive review.

Genevieve Chase, of American Women Veterans, a non-profit organization that advocates for women in the military said: “The nature of war has changed and battlefield commanders have found value in the contributions of women in combat and especially counterinsurgency operations. Examples of this are the creation of the Marine Corps’ Female Engagement Teams and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s Cultural Support Teams. These women are trained for and expected to live among all-male combat arms units in austere conditions as integral parts of the units’ operations. This concept evolved over the past several years as a result of the value that women who were “attached” to combat units added on the battlefield. The creation of these highly skilled teams of women and their integration into special operations forces and combat arms units reinforces the need and expanding roles of women in the military. This alone is evidence that re-evaluation of the outdated and misrepresentative policy is long overdue.”

The Department of Defense “combat exclusion policy” precludes women from being assigned to ground combat units and being recognized as “combat troops”, yet women have served for years in ground combat operations as “attached” units that expose them to the same danger. This policy keeps women from being recognized as combatant troops, which is one of the most direct ways to rise through the military ranks. This inconsistency has a direct impact on military women’s chances of having access to adequate training before deployment, proper recognition upon their return, and fair promotion opportunities. Today, 80 percent of general officers come from career fields that are closed to women, and only 24 of the Army’s 403 general officers – or 6 percent – are female, though women make up roughly 15 percent of the force.

FULL TEXT OF LETTER:

June 17, 2011

The Honorable Robert M. Gates

Secretary of Defense

The Pentagon

Washington, DC 20301-1155

Dear Secretary Gates:

The Military Leadership Diversity Commission’s report, From Representation to Inclusion: Diversity Leadership for the 21st Century Military informed the nation that the Armed Services should systematically develop a demographically diverse leadership that reflects the forces it leads and the public it serves. Additionally, the Commission recommended that the Services expand their diversity to include the range of backgrounds, skills, and personal attributes that are necessary for enhancing military performance. One issue the Commission highlighted that we would like more information about is the effect of the Department of Defense’s combat exclusion policy on women in the Armed Services.

The Department of Defense’s current policy as it relates to women in the Armed Services states that “women may not serve in units that (1) engage an enemy on the ground with weapons, (2) are exposed to hostile fire, and (3) have a high probability of direct physical contact with personnel of a hostile force,” yet 134 female service members have been killed, and 721 have been wounded in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission’s report highlights the inconsistency of DOD’s policy with the reality of deployments, stating: “the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been anything but conventional. As a result, some of the female Servicemembers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have already been engaged in activities that would be considered combat related, including being collocated with combat units and engaging in direct combat for self-defense.” The Commission subsequently recommended eliminating the combat exclusion policy for women.

We respectfully request additional information regarding the inconsistency of the current combat exclusion policy, whereby women are being “attached” to combat arms units that consistently engage the enemy on the ground with weapons, repeatedly encounter hostile fire, and frequently expose them to direct physical contact with personnel of a hostile force, yet women are not being adequately recognized for having served in combat arms functions when it comes to documenting these experiences in their military records and DD214s. Additionally, we are concerned that this policy unnecessarily restricts combatant commanders from selecting the best personnel to participate in missions solely based on gender.

We hope you will provide a more comprehensive explanation of the capacity in which the 255,000 women who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have served, specifically those that have been “attached” to combat arms units during their deployments. In accordance with the current combat exclusion policy, what roles are open to women and from which are they precluded? Does the policy inhibit commanders from effectively engaging in counterinsurgency operations?

Given the fact that women are now serving alongside and collocated with combatant troops, what measures are being taken to ensure they receive appropriate training prior to deployment? Finally, when non-combat arms troops engage the enemy on the ground with weapons or are exposed to hostile fire, how is this being reflected in their military records other than the issuance of a combat action decoration?

In summary, we hope you will provide more details about the increased capacity in which women are serving and how the Department is working to ensure that the issues of training, equal opportunities for promotion and career advancement, and proper treatment upon redeployment are addressed.

We look forward to your timely response to this inquiry and to working with you to update the Department’s policies in a way that fully reflects the critical role women are playing in today’s armed forces, ensures that women receive the much-deserved credit they earn during their military careers, and makes certain that our nation fields the most qualified troops regardless of gender.

Sincerely,

Senator Menendez

Senator Gillibrand

Senator McCaskill

Senator Cardin

Senator Wyden

Senator Franken

Senator Merkley

Senator Hagan

Senator Lautenberg

In 2009, American Women Veterans was proud to have set the precedent for women’s organizations marching in this iconic parade. This year’s parade will commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, and will also pay special tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War and the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

We hope you’ll make plans to join us for this momentous occasion. It is truly an amazing experience!

We will have much more information in the following days about meeting times and places, lodging suggestions and after party details. If you have specific questions or concerns before that time, please feel free to post them in the comments below.

If you are planning to join us, please request to join our Facebook Group so that we can keep you informed of up-to-the-minute information.

View the event invitation here

Meet the artist: “If you ask Soldier Hard what has gotten him to where he is today, he’ll say “Determination & the will to carry on.” So it wasn’t a surprise, that his new full length & 10th CD is titled “The Military Collection” shows just that. It is a compilation of his last 9 CD projects he released throughout the years. The CD project contains some of his Military themed songs determined to make his mark in the music world by speaking up for our troops, veterans, & military supporters.”

Artist: Soldier Hard aka The Voice
Available for Free Download at www.SoldierHard.com

VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group recently completed a 60-second public service announcement (PSA) that challenges viewers to rethink pre-conceived notions about women Veterans. This dynamic video features images of women in service to our country: they drive supply trucks, participate in reconnaissance missions, walk safety patrols, and operate helicopter machine guns.

“When these brave women complete their service and become Veterans, we want them to know that VA is there to meet their health care needs,” said Dr. Patricia Hayes, Chief Consultant of the VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “At the same time, we want the public to recognize the contributions of women Veterans and the benefits they have earned through their service to the Nation.” (Business Wire Press Release)

“This public service announcement (PSA) challenges viewers to rethink preconceived notions about women Veterans. The PSA was developed from a new employee orientation video created as part of VA’s ongoing efforts to change its culture to be more understanding and accommodating of women Veterans and the important service they have given our country. See the Section 508 version of this video.

Anderson’s goal when she entered the service in 1979 was to complete eight years of service, she said.

“But I reached a point where I realized I enjoy doing this. But then I still thought that I would retire after 20 years which is about hitting lieutenant colonel rank and I was very happy at that as well because I basically thought that was a great rank. You command at that level,” said Anderson.

She said she can earn up to four stars, but said she’s happy with two for now.”

(Read the entire story)

A collage of 1,000 female veterans grace this piece of art hanging in the Jubilee House fro homeless women veterans in Fayetteville, NC as a symbol of hope for all who pass through. Incorporated into the collage are photos sent in by AWV members, including those submitted by family members and loved ones in tribute to the women who’ve served in our nation’s defense. This collage also serves as a memorial to our fallen sisters as many of their photos are interspersed throughout the collage.

AWV’s Founder and Executive Director was on set and Alicia Fesi Large, AWV Social Media Manager, worked remotely to help with the project.

SOURCE

HSN Cares is proud to partner with DKNYC and the Society for Women’s Health Research to bring you this exclusive watch to honor and support female veterans, raise awareness of the challenges they face, and harness resources to support them.

· For each watch sold, a $10 donation will be made to the Society for Women’s Health Research to benefit F2F. The watch is available only at HSN and HSN.com.

Fatigues to FabulousTM (F2F) is a national campaign designed to support those women serving in our nation’s military, and the unique issues faced by women veterans. The campaign is working with the fashion industry to help women make the transition to a civilian wardrobe, raise awareness of the challenges they face upon return, and harness resources to support them. The needs of the veteran women span five key areas: education, jobs, healthcare, family support and finance.

For decades, transitioning back into civilian life has meant a confusing array of services, forms, and offices. The challenges women face upon returning can range from medical, to housing, to employment and often build upon each other. While other campaigns have focused on military families, F2F aims specifically to raise public consciousness about those mothers, wives, sisters, aunts and nieces who have proudly served in the U.S. and abroad.

See DKNY F2F watches here

See DKNY F2F Camo Tote here

For her it hit close to home; while serving in the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1970s in Japan, Schieren suffered a devastating lower-back injury. She walked with a limp and cane until later having three vertebrae fused. Combined with shoulder problems and arthritis, she started finding it difficult to dry her hair the way she had.

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“There’s got to be a solution to this,” she recalled.

Thus began a long process — and spending of about $200,000 — to invent a hair dryer holder allowing for hands-free operation.

Existing devices were deeply flawed and dangerous, she said.

“I just thought and thought and came up with a sketch,” she said.

After many prototypes, revisions and advice she arrived at the final product: a simple, flat rack suspended from the ceiling by four adjustable straps. It’s called the Halo SS1, a nod to its circular design. It will securely hold over 40 types of hair dryers.”

The Daily Mail, “Ladies and gentlemen, leave the drying to us”

Not only does Susan Schieren plan on growing their product line in the future to provide products that will help solve annoying everyday issues and assist those with disabilities, but currently 5% of the profits from the sale of Halo SS1 are being donated to companies or organizations that support, recognize, and serve Female Veterans and/or Animal Rescue Organizations.