TIME TO CELEBRATE ALL VETS -- WOMEN TOO

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On the night before Veterans Day, 2010, students packed Commons 206 at Cal State San Marcos. Whether they were there to learn more about women who serve in the military or simply to fulfill credit requirements for their Women’s Studies class, in the end it didn’t really matter.

They got to hear 22-year-old Sgt. Saray Ramirez, who joined the Army National Guard when she was 17, explain how empowering it felt to be able to change monster-sized tires on monster-sized trucks and bond with the guys she served with in Iraq. Ramirez was born in Mexico and became a U.S. citizen through her military service. 

“Overall, I think my experience in the military has been good,” she said. “Especially being a female Hispanic. It’s given me a lot of strength, personal courage.” 

And the students got to hear Army veteran Kristine Wise share some of her experiences as a logistical specialist who was deployed to Iraq from May 2003 to January 2004. They got to see how much courage it took for Wise to stand in front of a roomful of strangers and talk about the ongoing sexual harassment she endured during her service. And to hear how her experience in Iraq caused her mental health to suffer severely, and how she continues to find help and healing for her military traumas at the San Diego Vet Center. 

After the women spoke, they took their seats with the other students and watched the screening of the documentary “Lioness.” The film takes an up-close look at a group of female Army support soldiers in Iraq who were part of the first mission in American history to send women into direct ground combat.  

Hearing the stories of female service members and veterans is important for this campus and the nation,” said Lea Burgess-Carland, director of the ASI Women’s Center. “Women make up 20 percent of the U.S. military, yet their experiences and voices are often silenced. It’s time that we celebrate all veterans —-including women.” 

I’m glad that the ASI Women’s Center and the Veterans Center at CSUSM organized this event. It was an opportunity for students whose lives are far removed from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to come a little closer to the students who have served there.

Sometimes all we can do is come together on a chilly fall night to share our stories, our triumphs and our sorrows. And raise our hands to ask questions. And listen to the answers.

                                                                            


This was originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune on November 12, 2010.  https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2010/11/12/brett-time-to-celebrate-all-vets-women-too/

I'M NOT THE VETERAN'S WIFE -- I AM THE VETERAN poster designed by Norman Young 

Photo credit: https://www.militarytimes.com/education-transition/2021/03/12/wounded-women-veterans-face-higher-levels-of-loneliness-isolation-report/

 

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