New Organization to Support Women Military Veterans

July 16, 2011|By Christine Kim | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — It's a new women's veterans group in a state that has the highest population per capita of female veterans in the nation.

A handful of women got together for the first time Saturday as the Alaska Veterans Organization for Women. They join nearly 8,500 female vets in Alaska.

Vanessa Meade, a U.S. Army and Gulf War veteran, noticed a lack of a veterans group supporting women so she started one herself February of this year.

“Just in talking with women, a lot of people think if they haven’t served in combat they're not a veteran and that's not true,” said Meade. “So it's getting rid of that stigma of what a veteran looks like and also what kinds of services are available too (to women).”

The goal of Alaska Veterans Organization for Women is to also provide resources and be an advocate for female vets on various issues. Meade says it's a chance to share stories and experiences that they all understand.

“It’s such a unique population. Women cope so much differently than men do in military,” said Army Veteran Amanda Doyle. “It's nice to reconnect to people who've had similar experiences or completely different experiences. Everyone at that table has all served in completely different environments, different branches, different times, different eras. I think that's very neat.”

The organization will be holding a retreat July 29-August 3rd where they'll plan how to best help female veterans.

You can contact Vanessa Meade for more information at alaskawomenvets@gmail.com or also on their Facebook page.

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