Army Veteran Speaker Elizabeth Stetler (left) responds to a question posed by a woman veteran during a dinner and discussion period held at the Eastgate Golden Corral on October 3, 2024. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter #63 (Clermont County) member Susan Ward (right) moderated the discussion period for the twenty-four women veterans, who attended. The event was jointly sponsored by the DAV Department of Ohio and DAV Chapter #63 and was the third event sponsored exclusively for women veterans. Photograph Courtesy National DAV representative Nikki Herrmann.
National Disabled American Veterans (DAV) speaker Elizabeth Stetler (left) presents a copy of the recent DAV Report, Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness to Chapter #63 life member and Marine Corps veteran Susan Ward (right). Veteran Ward served as the host and moderator for the women veterans’ event. Each of the attendees received copies of this Report, which was released in March of 2024. Photograph Courtesy National DAV representative Nikki Herrmann.
Twenty-four (24) women veterans gathered on October 3, 2024, at the Eastgate Golden Corral Restaurant for dinner, a presentation of women veterans’ issues and an informative discussion period. The event was jointly co-sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio and DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County).
This was the third luncheon/dinner event co-sponsored by the DAV. The first event was held in Mt. Orab and organized by DAV Chapter #63 Life Member Cheryl Childers in 2023. The second event was held in 2024 in Georgetown.
The main speaker in the event was Army veteran Elizabeth Stetler, who served from 2004 to 2008. Her concise presentation focused on the three (3) reports that the DAV had published concerning female veterans’ issues and possible corrective recommendations.
“Many of the systems built for veterans – namely the Department of Veterans Affairs – were quite literally designed for men,” stated veteran Stetler. “ As a result, women have historically been underserved, underrepresented, and underappreciated. In short: we have a lot of catching up to do.”
The first DAV comprehensive Report, published in 2014, Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home, uncovered glaring gaps in health care, housing, employment, and community support services for women veterans.
Both the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) were not fully prepared to provide equitable access to the gender-specific health care and services that women require. For example, one-third of VA Medical Centers, in 2014, did not employ a staff gynecologist.
“Women who had lost one or more limbs were less likely to have a prosthetic that fit properly,” explained Stetler, “and they face unique issues when pregnant, including, increased wear on the prosthetic and need for recurrent modifications.”
In the first Report, the DAV made thirty (30) recommendations. By 2018, most of the DAV recommendations had been implemented, in whole or in part. This marked a significant success in the fight for equitable access to care and benefits for women veterans.
The second DAV Report, published in 2018, Women Veterans: The Journey Ahead, highlighted the growing role of women veteran in the military and the need to improve support through the VA. This report included forty-five (45) key recommendations.
Stetler discussed the important passage of the Deborah Sampson Act in 2022 to the attendees. This Act created the Office of Women’s Health within the VA and dedicated $20 million to retrofit VA facilities with appropriate spaces for women veterans.
The third DAV Report, Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness, focused on suicide prevention and mental health for women veterans. This Report contained fifty (50) recommendations.
The speaker focused on the findings, such as the suicide rate for women veterans, from 2020 and 2021, jumped by 24.1%. Sixteen percent of women veterans have a substance abuse problem and one(1) in three (3) women experience military sexual trauma.
Prior to completing the speaking portion of her presentation, Stetler highlighted the Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options for Veterans Act and the Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans in Combat Environments Act, both recently passed by Congress.
Army Veteran Stetler was assisted by Marine Corps Veteran and DAV Chapter #63 member Susan Ward during the discussion phase of the event. The entire event was conducted in a private room at the Golden Corral Restaurant and no males were allowed to attend.
“Women veterans may be uncomfortable or intimidated by male veterans when discussing certain female issues,” said Army veteran Cheryl Childers. “This is the reason why male veterans are excluded from the event.”
Nine (9) of the female veterans were from the Trauma Recovery Center at Ft. Thomas VAMC. The Center’s Peer Support Clinician, Rick Johnson, explained that this event blends in nicely to the seven (7) week course he instructs at the Ft. Thomas Domiciliary.
“The event co-sponsored by the Ohio DAV on September 7, 2024, at East Fork Lake State Park was also very beneficial to the women veterans because it gave them an opportunity to experience new activities such as kayaking, fishing and horsemanship,” said Clinician Johnson.
“I want to personally thank our DAV National Speaker Elizabeth Stetler, Marine Corps Veteran Susan Ward, who was the moderator and Golden Corral Manager Brandon York for making this event a reality,” said DAV Chapter Commander Steve Smith.
“But most of all, I would like to thank the twenty-four (24) female veterans for attending,” concluded Commander Smith. “I agreed with Speaker Stetler’s remarks that women veterans in the past were ‘underrepresented, underserved and underappreciated.’ But our chapter and the Ohio DAV Department will continue to work to change that past situation.”
Currently, Clinician Johnson and DAV Chapter #63 is planning to hold another similar event, exclusively for women veterans, during the first week of December.