By Matt Kiernan
As part of a week of Veterans’ Day events, women veterans discussed their experiences with war and the differences in treatment between men and women soldiers.
“Women have certainly proven themselves in many respects,” said Connecticut Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Dr. Linda Schwartz to a small audience in Torp Theatre.
The panel discussion, which was moderated by communications professor Cindy White, introduced stories of unfair treatment and discrimination that women sometimes face when serving their country. While male comrades may sometimes be hesitant towards trusting them, the women veterans said they have proven themselves worthy of the tasks they’re given, which has given them access to many different positions.
“There are very few specialty areas that women have been barred from being assigned to,” said Schwartz.
Schwartz recalled her time spent in the Vietnam War and how women were limited to two percent of the force. Women were also not allowed to be married while joining the military and had to leave if pregnant.
Sally Haskell M.D. of the Women’s Health Care and Veteran’s Administration discussed her work providing medical care for veterans. Until recently, when women returning from war find it difficult to secure good medical care because most attention is given to male veterans, which still sometimes happens today.
The Veteran’s Administration, which has locations in Newington and West Haven, provides mental and physical care including gynecological and breast care for women veterans, and also serves men.
Haskell was part of a women veteran cohort study that compared men and women and what their mental statuses are when coming back from war. It also examined how the two genders use the Veteran’s Administration.
“We really haven’t found as many differences as we thought we would,” said Haskell.
They found depression was more common in women and post-traumatic stress disorder was more common in men. Women’s needs were seen as being slightly higher for the Veteran’s Administration than men in terms of visits.
Helen Hart-Gai of Advanced Practice of Registered Nurses and National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder talked about her work spent with women who have been mentally stressed from the acts of war on and off combat zones.
“The women in the military often have a higher rate of sexual assault,” said Hart-Gai.
Fifteen percent of women coming back from war report being sexually assaulted. Women often come into the PTSD center and report experiencing nightmares about war and sexual assault.
During war, male officials in higher-up positions can be a woman’s perpetrator, which complicates the issue and usually discourages women from reporting the incident.
“The women that I see are a courageous group of individuals,” said Hart-Gai.
New Britain High School teacher and Ed.D. student Despina Mavroudis described her experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Hummer mechanic. She said she had to work twice as hard to earn the confidence of her male comrades.
While on patrol with male soldiers, she was ordered to wear a radio and didn’t have the same privileges as the men, which included having an earlier curfew.
“I was 23 and didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to be treated this way,” said Mavroudis.
The difference in treatment caused Mavroudis to suffer from anxiety, more so than the anxiety she felt at the sounds of bombs or guns.
Readjustment Counseling Therapist Amy Otzel worked as a mental health counselor during Operation Iraqi Freedom and started off as the only counselor to a battalion of 500 soldiers.
“I didn’t really think about being a female at the time,” said Otzel.
She recalled having to carry a knife to protect herself from assaults and had to have three men walk her to the bathroom when she needed to use it during the night.
Three-hundred anf fifty women have given their lives in war since World War I in combat zones and 85 have been prisoners of war. Today, six percent of the veteran population are women.
