1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,640 All across America and around the world, this is Veterans Radio. 2 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:15,920 This is Veterans Radio. 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,840 Welcome to Veterans Radio. 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,560 I am Jim Fossone. 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:22,880 I'm the officer of the deck today. 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,760 We've got some great programs for you. 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,760 I think you'll find very interesting. 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:34,640 We always want to remind you you can find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook site 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,680 or at the web. 10 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:43,120 VeteransRadio.org is our new URL, VeteransRadio.org. 11 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:48,520 Where we're on the web 24-7, you can find a lot of our podcasts there as well. 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:55,080 We post new ones every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a new interview, 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,960 something you didn't know before by going to VeteransRadio.org. 14 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:04,240 And before we get started, we want to thank our sponsors. 15 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:13,680 First up, we want to thank National Veteran Business Development Council, NVBDC.org. 16 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:19,360 It was established to certify both service disabled and veteran-owned businesses. 17 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:25,920 You'll find out how they can help your business by going to NVBDC.org. 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,280 We want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. 19 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:35,000 Legal Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability rights all across the nation. 20 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:46,440 You can reach them at 800-693-4800 or on the web at LegalHelpForVeterans.com. 21 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:52,840 We want to welcome to VeteransRadio today US Army retired Lieutenant Colonel Tracy Farrell. 22 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:58,120 We're going to talk about the Wounded Warrior Project and women veterans in particular. 23 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,520 But Tracy, welcome to VeteransRadio. 24 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:02,280 Thanks so much, Jim. 25 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,520 I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you and all your listeners. 26 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:10,400 Well, let's talk about your Army career. 27 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,000 How did a nice girl like you from Notre Dame, the University of Notre Dame, 28 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,040 with a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics end up in the US Army? 29 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,600 Yeah, so I come from a line of individuals who served. 30 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,800 Both my grandfathers served in World War II. 31 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:31,600 One in the 8th, it was the Army Air Corps at that time, later the Air Force, and one in the Army. 32 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,000 And then my father served 22 years as well. 33 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:42,320 Field Artillery, and then he did operations, kind of like stop work more so. 34 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:43,680 And I'm the oldest of five. 35 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,000 So I had to find a way to make for college. 36 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,200 Fenced an ROTC scholarship to Notre Dame. 37 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:54,120 And then from there, I thought I was going to do four years and get out as most of us do. 38 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:56,160 Maybe not most of us, but many of us do. 39 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:57,280 You know, we all think... 40 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,240 Oh yeah, nobody goes in to be a lifer. 41 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:01,200 Yeah, yeah. 42 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,360 Very few people think they're going to be livers. 43 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:08,960 And then at every point in my life, it was just so many great opportunities were presented 44 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:14,880 through the military or through assignments that I ended up staying 22 and a half years. 45 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:15,880 Well, let's... 46 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:21,680 And as we talked earlier, I had some amazing, amazing assignments. 47 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,720 Well, let's talk about those because they... 48 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:31,520 This ties back into one of the findings in the report, which is about, hey, would you recommend joining up to folks? 49 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:38,160 And one of the reasons people would is you get this great opportunity in terms of leadership responsibility 50 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:39,160 and travel. 51 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:40,160 So tell us about yours. 52 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:41,160 Yeah. 53 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,800 Yeah, I ended up my first assignment was in Germany. 54 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,920 And then I've also ended up in Korea. 55 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:51,920 And I had battalion command in Hawaii. 56 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,520 And I ended my career in D.C. 57 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:58,920 And of course, there were some iterations of training deployments and spent some time in 58 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,000 Hungary, Croatia, as well as Iraq. 59 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:10,880 But just for me, I think I look at the person I was when I graduated college and the self-confidence, 60 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,200 I think I was lacking at that point. 61 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:18,280 And then how I progressed over the 22 years and who I am today. 62 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:23,440 And I can't say I wouldn't have been that person had I not joined the military. 63 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:29,240 The military definitely had an amazing impact on my confidence, my knowledge, my ability 64 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:34,920 to lead others and just allowed me to see the world and other cultures and even other 65 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:36,320 portions of the United States. 66 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:41,240 As you might know, each portion of the United States is a little different as well. 67 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:46,040 Well, you know, those of us who never got a duty assignment in Hawaii love how you just 68 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,720 slip that in around everything else. 69 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,560 But you know, we are all jealous of a duty assignment in Hawaii. 70 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,080 So I think each of us have somewhere we're jealous of. 71 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:58,560 I always wanted to come to Colorado Springs. 72 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:04,040 So then after I retired from the military, that was the place I chose to move to. 73 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:05,440 And I've lived here. 74 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:10,200 I call Colorado Springs my home in the first place I ever chose because the rest of my 75 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:15,320 life I was following my father or following the military or following a job. 76 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,440 And Colorado Springs I chose and this is now my home and I love it with all my heart. 77 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:20,440 Well, that's great. 78 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:25,360 And along the way, I should mention she picked up a master's from Long Island University 79 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:26,560 and leadership. 80 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:34,120 So I got to be at West Point for a while and as a tactical officer and that was part of 81 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,640 the job requirement and it really was a great opportunity. 82 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,480 And that word keeps coming up opportunity. 83 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:46,560 And again, this will factor back into some of the findings of the report we're talking 84 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,320 about that's been issued here this fall in 2023. 85 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:57,040 But Tracy, for those who maybe don't really understand what Wounded Warrior Project is 86 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:04,320 or maybe have just seen TV commercials, which may or may not be informative, tell us a little 87 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:09,760 bit about Wounded Warrior Project and the efforts that it undertakes. 88 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:10,760 Sure. 89 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:19,560 So Wounded Warrior Project is an organization that has over 240,000 registrants members. 90 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:26,680 Nationwide and we're even in Germany at Launstall where there's a medical center, as you know. 91 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:34,320 And we serve warriors and their families who were injured or ill as a part of their service 92 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:35,320 to the military. 93 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,160 And that doesn't have to be physical injuries. 94 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,440 I think that's the biggest misconception. 95 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:50,200 Even though we have these ongoing dialogues about traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic 96 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:55,960 stress or anxiety as a result of service, a lot of people think that Wounded Warrior 97 00:06:55,960 --> 00:07:01,120 Project focuses on the physical injuries and we do, absolutely do. 98 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:07,240 But making sure that somebody who transitions from service is able to thrive in their communities 99 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:12,600 in a holistic manner, whether it be focusing on their financial needs, their mental health 100 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:18,080 needs or their physical needs or even just societal, wanting to connect with others, 101 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,880 that is the focus of Wounded Warrior Project. 102 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:27,600 And the key thing is that due to the generosity of the American public, it's at no cost at 103 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:32,040 all to the warriors and family members who participate. 104 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:33,040 And it's huge. 105 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,120 It's been 20 years now, which is absolutely amazing to me. 106 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:41,160 But this is our 20th year anniversary and we're going strong and we're still looking 107 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:46,760 ways to be innovative with the population that we have dedicated ourselves to serve. 108 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:52,280 And I should mention that Tracey Ferrell is the program partnership and operational vice 109 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,720 president for the Wounded Warrior Project. 110 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:59,440 So we're talking to somebody at the top of the food chain, which is always good because 111 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,880 you get the real deal of what's going on. 112 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:07,360 And what was interesting to me and I wanted to make sure we got this out to a wide audience 113 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:13,240 for Veterans Radio is that you released the Wounded Warrior Project, W.W.P. released 114 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:19,480 its Women Warriors Report, which highlights the sort of unique experiences and challenges 115 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,200 of women veterans. 116 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:27,560 So why don't you go ahead and tell us about this survey and some of the results from it? 117 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:28,560 Sure. 118 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:34,880 So just to provide a little bit of background, Wounded Warrior Project has been doing surveys 119 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,840 of our population for years now. 120 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:44,280 And a few years back, we acknowledged that women represent the fastest growing population 121 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,400 in both the military and veteran communities. 122 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:54,000 We were seeing some disparities between the results of our male population and our women 123 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:55,000 population. 124 00:08:55,000 --> 00:09:00,200 And so we launched this initiative to try and dig into the information and the data that 125 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,600 we have about women warriors in particular. 126 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:12,920 And so this report that was released in September is based on the responses of 5,000 women warriors, 127 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:20,440 as well as roundtable discussions that happen both virtually and in person across the United 128 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:21,960 States. 129 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,520 And what we've found is that wounded women warriors, and you have to remember this is 130 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:31,960 our population, the wounded women warriors, we face unique challenges while we serve in 131 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,040 the military and then as we transition to transition into civilian life. 132 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:42,840 And those could be with regards to financial wellness, access to care, mental wellness, 133 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:47,720 social health, military transition, and military sexual trauma. 134 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:55,840 And so this report, which is absolutely beautiful, not only in its layout, but in its information, 135 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:59,200 that only gives those statistics and that data. 136 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:04,600 But it gives some quotes from women warriors and it gives some recommendations on what 137 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:11,240 we can do as a society, not just legislatively, not just with the VA, not just with veteran 138 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:16,520 service organizations, but what all of us working together can do to better serve women 139 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:18,000 warriors as they transition. 140 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,960 Yeah, I think that there's a couple of points here. 141 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:26,840 One is we all relate to anecdotal stories where somebody we know or in this instance 142 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:32,320 in the report, the female veterans there and there's generally a quote or a story you 143 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:33,920 can relate to. 144 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:40,960 But it helps, it really helps in thinking these things through when you have the data. 145 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:48,560 You begin, you talk to 5,000 folks, you've got a big data set and you're going to get 146 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,760 real solid information out of that, aren't you? 147 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:52,760 Definitely. 148 00:10:52,760 --> 00:11:00,440 And I think what resonated the most with me just because of my service was the conversations 149 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:07,320 around the military to civilian transition process and how we might enhance it and include 150 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:08,960 ongoing support. 151 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:16,040 I think probably a lot of the listeners know I approach transition as like this singular 152 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:18,440 day or month in my life. 153 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:23,560 I was just going to get out of the Army, take off the uniform, put on something in my closet 154 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:27,160 and be absolutely successful after that. 155 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:33,080 And it's a process and ensuring that the support is there through TAPS, which I know 156 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:39,080 both DOD and VA have been looking at this, the toll transition assistant program and 157 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:44,960 what we can provide through that, but also afterwards, who's there in the community that 158 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:50,720 has reached back and you can ask questions and you can connect with, for women warriors 159 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:56,200 in particular, who can, who's in your community that you can connect with and ask questions 160 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:03,040 about that really resonated with me, as well as the challenges with accessing care and 161 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:04,520 the VA healthcare system. 162 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:10,280 The VA has been doing an amazing job in expanding their women's healthcare. 163 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:15,200 It's not across the United States and there's still some opportunities to leverage community 164 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:20,640 based resources and even telehealth to address some of the barriers of care that we're hearing 165 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,840 about from our women veterans. 166 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:29,720 And it's those kinds of key findings based on data and based also on stories people can 167 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:34,520 relate to, they help policymakers, don't they? 168 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:36,920 You did a stint in Washington, DC. 169 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,680 You did a stint on a congressional hill. 170 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:45,040 This information has a role to play in shaping policy, doesn't it? 171 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:53,000 Oh, 100% and not just from, let's give you the information, but in twofold. 172 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,320 One in the efforts that our government and community relations team does in working with 173 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:04,760 members of Congress to develop legislation based on the data, based on information that 174 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:11,320 we've got from the VA, but then also just the opportunities for our women warriors to 175 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:16,160 go to Capitol Hill and talk about what they're experiencing and then show the data behind 176 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:17,160 that. 177 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:23,320 When we released this report back in September, we brought 50 women warriors together and 178 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:28,960 we had them go to Capitol Hill and talk with the representatives and talk with the staff 179 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:34,560 members there and share their experiences, but also share the report to make sure that 180 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:42,480 it's not just me talking about myself, it's me talking for women nationwide. 181 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:47,040 One of the other, and that's so important, and one of the other findings that was in 182 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:53,440 New York here is dealt with financial wellness, which I think is worth exploring some because 183 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:54,440 people don't really talk about it. 184 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,400 They talk about transition, how hard that is and it may take years to find the job you 185 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,480 really want to be doing. 186 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:03,320 But financial wellness is such a change. 187 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,720 When I'm in the military, that paycheck shows up every time. 188 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,440 My expenses are kind of covered. 189 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:15,000 There's not the same sort of market driven financial pressures. 190 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:20,480 So talk to us about how that manifested itself to become a key area. 191 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:26,560 So we have found that women warriors have a higher education rate. 192 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:32,880 They pursue college, they pursue advanced degrees at a higher rate than their male peers, 193 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,440 but they have higher unemployment rates as well. 194 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:43,840 This report specifically identified 10% of women warriors were unemployed by 6.3%. 195 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:48,240 And the reason for this for many of them was that childcare and family responsibilities 196 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,320 are the top barrier to their employment. 197 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:56,320 Another fact that was really saddening for me was that nearly half report living paycheck 198 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:57,320 to paycheck. 199 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:02,720 And two out of five lack the confidence to cover a $1,000 emergency. 200 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:08,120 And as you mentioned, these are women who had the support systems and had financial 201 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:11,560 assistance and had paychecks coming in every month. 202 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,440 And so we think a couple things can help. 203 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,040 One, there needs to be a little more research into why this is so. 204 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,360 It isn't just societal. 205 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,560 We can't just say, well, women are behind men in every aspect of employment because 206 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:26,520 that's not true right now. 207 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,520 So where are some areas that societal wise we can look at? 208 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:36,000 But also we need to invest in mentorship and transition support services for women veterans. 209 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:41,400 And these can be through organizations such as the Department of Labor or grants to community 210 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:47,360 organizations, focused specifically on women's career planning and employment and not at 211 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,200 the point of transition that I mentioned earlier. 212 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,240 Early on, early on financial management. 213 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:58,200 Prior to launching oneself into being a civilian, we should be thinking about things like this. 214 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:02,240 Yeah, I think that was a, you know, that sort of popped out as an issue where like people 215 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:03,880 don't really talk about that. 216 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:10,360 But it's you hear about it kind of quietly, sort of buried in the transition problem. 217 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:15,080 It's really maybe a financial problem. 218 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,120 One of the things that we've talked about here on Veterans Radio, and we're talking 219 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:23,360 to Tracy Ferrell, who's the VP at the Wounded Warrior Project. 220 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:31,280 We're talking specifically about a recently released Women Warriors report. 221 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:36,000 Tracy, one of the things we find is that on Veterans Radio, when we talk to folks is, 222 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,320 when you're in the military, you have a network. 223 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:40,640 You've moved from base to base. 224 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,000 You know people from this here and there. 225 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,240 But when you transition out, you don't have maybe that network. 226 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,960 And you have to create a new network. 227 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:54,960 Is that the social health issue that your report found as a key area? 228 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:55,960 Yeah, absolutely. 229 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,360 So let's just do the numbers real quick. 230 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:03,840 So right now, 10% of the population are women veterans, right? 231 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,320 Or 10% of the veteran population are women. 232 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:07,320 Excuse me. 233 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:08,320 I misquoted that. 234 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,680 And then less than 1% actually serve these days. 235 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:19,520 And so while we find that there will be a growing population, and it's going to be up 236 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:27,200 to 18% by 2040, our veterans are women, we don't find that women veterans wear their 237 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,440 status on their sleeve as much as male veterans do. 238 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:38,080 And part of that is because they don't feel that society acknowledges their service, right? 239 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,160 A little story. 240 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:47,600 I actually went somewhere that was military oriented and showed a card that said veterans 241 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,800 were to get in at a reduced rate or a free rate by myself. 242 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:53,560 And I was asked where my husband was. 243 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:54,560 Yeah, yeah. 244 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,720 Where the veteran was, right? 245 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:02,160 We have to stop that question from coming out of people's mouths. 246 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:07,480 We have to acknowledge that both men and women serve in the military now and are proud of 247 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:12,160 their service and should stand up for being a veteran and connecting with other veterans 248 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:15,920 through opportunities that are offered within our communities. 249 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,160 And some groups are better at that. 250 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:24,040 Women's Marine Association, WMA, is really a pretty robust group because they're a pretty 251 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:27,040 small, hearty group. 252 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:32,200 But I don't think our VSOs in general are that well at welcoming folks. 253 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,400 But you can just see how that network needs to be there. 254 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,680 And you've got to be able to know where the other people in the network are. 255 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:39,680 You do. 256 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,760 And you have to know how to look for them, right? 257 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:49,720 It's just, and that was another one of our recommendations was actually through the transition 258 00:18:49,720 --> 00:19:01,680 process to have a women focused leg of it to tell what health system VA offers you, where 259 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:07,760 you might find other women in your communities that are veterans if you wish to reach out, 260 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:14,840 and what specific issues and solutions women veterans have come across during their time. 261 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,520 We have to do that because we need to recruit more women. 262 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:19,720 We need to recruit more men. 263 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:24,760 And there's a big recruiting problem in the country as a whole. 264 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,520 I guess it comes and goes right after 9-11. 265 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:35,200 All kinds of people join up after a 20 year war, people are the voluntary, military's 266 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:40,160 having a tough time, every branch hitting the recruiting numbers. 267 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:48,040 So making things better for women veterans is really making things better for women to 268 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,480 enter the military. 269 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,600 And actually that's a national security issue. 270 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:59,760 Times have changed a lot since you went in and I think it was 1994. 271 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:04,920 But there's a lot more to do and you mentioned, and I don't want to pass over, military sexual 272 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:11,440 trauma, exposure to toxins and other problems that are in the news today. 273 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,840 What do you report, find about those sorts of things and how they're impacting women 274 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:16,840 veterans? 275 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:26,560 There's quite a bit of attention on military sexual trauma and ensuring that when anyone 276 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:32,160 who has experienced military sexual trauma transitions from the military to the VA that 277 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:38,240 they don't want that they have a smooth transition, whether it be through a peer leader helping 278 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:44,680 them through that process or in the sharing of the information between DOD and the VA. 279 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:53,200 What we hear most of the times right now is that as women in transition between their 280 00:20:53,200 --> 00:21:00,520 providers, whether it be a mental health provider or a medical provider or some other sort of 281 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:07,800 PC, primary care provider, they're repeating their story over and over and over again. 282 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,680 And retraumatization is a big thing. 283 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:15,880 And so we need to find a way so that women and men don't have to do that. 284 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:21,920 They don't have to keep on reliving or repeating their story that is captured somewhere and 285 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:27,880 shared across that and that they're escorted through the process of benefits and healthcare. 286 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:33,480 Yeah, and I think this is where the VA would step in and say, hey, we hear these stories, 287 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,200 we know how to handle them. 288 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,240 We don't want you to have to repeat them. 289 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:42,520 But maybe you're a private practitioner, this is all brand new to them. 290 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:49,180 So there's an interesting issue of where you'll be most comfortable getting your medical 291 00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:53,440 care and receive the best medical care. 292 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:58,040 So those are challenges as well that are kind of floating through your key findings. 293 00:21:58,040 --> 00:21:59,040 There are. 294 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:05,600 And the VA and Congress is very interested in that topic and has proposed legislation 295 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:06,600 and solutions. 296 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:13,200 And so my hope is that we will see movement in that in the next one to two years for sure. 297 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:18,000 We're talking to Lieutenant Colonel Tracy Ferrell, US Army retired, who's vice president 298 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:24,320 with Wounded Warrior Project about the women warriors report that was just issued. 299 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:29,600 And what's great about the report is that it not only does this great big data collection 300 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:34,480 and identifies issues, but then makes these recommendations that we've been talking about. 301 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:42,080 But one of the things that I want to highlight is how women warriors reacted to the idea 302 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:46,880 of would you recommend, and I always ask this question, would you recommend to a family 303 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,240 member or friend, you know, to join up? 304 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:53,960 And that's really the question you guys were kind of getting asking folks and their responses 305 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:54,960 are interesting. 306 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:55,960 Can you talk about them? 307 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:03,000 Yeah, I think it's so when we have to remember that the women who are part of Women Warrior 308 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:07,440 Project or Wounded Warrior Project, sorry, too many W's, let me just say that right off 309 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:08,440 the back. 310 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,440 What is this warrior project? 311 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,840 Are those who have been injured as part of their service? 312 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:18,560 And so their perception may be a little different. 313 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:24,560 But many of them actually said yes, I would still recommend service because of what it 314 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,680 taught me, what we talked about at the top of this. 315 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,360 Right, this ties right back into your experiences. 316 00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:37,440 Yeah, right back into the person that the military made me, even despite the injuries 317 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:43,960 that I have experienced or the trauma that I am still living through. 318 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:49,600 I believe that this was a good organization for me at that time of my life. 319 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:51,880 And I'm always heartened to hear that. 320 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:57,840 I think for me, especially having been a battalion commander, I really wanted to make sure that 321 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:03,280 the men and the women who joined my organization felt welcomed and that they had the ability 322 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:07,000 to grow in the direction that they chose. 323 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:15,040 And with military police, many of them decided, FBI or their local community policing or some 324 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:19,080 other sort of investigative careers after they left the military. 325 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:24,040 And I just, I'm happy to hear that many of the women who served during the same time 326 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,800 I did felt that within their units as well. 327 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:32,320 Well, it's interesting because the reason for recommendations are really pretty, it's 328 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:33,320 a long list. 329 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:39,080 It's not only the benefits package and the equal pay, but things like the GI bill that 330 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:45,320 gets you more education, which certainly you get to take a part of while you're in service, 331 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:52,000 but even more importantly for some is after, which you're developing all these skills that 332 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,640 you've talked about in terms of leadership. 333 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,560 We've talked about the travel that goes with it. 334 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:04,600 So there are a lot of very positive aspects of military service beyond being part of something 335 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,400 bigger than yourself and serving your country, aren't there? 336 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:14,160 Yeah, and I think a lot of times we focus on the leadership aspect, but there's some 337 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,880 skill sets that are learned as well. 338 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:20,680 You know, I think of my mechanics, right? 339 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:26,320 I think of my logistic specialist that helped me along the way or even the intelligence 340 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:28,160 specialist that were part. 341 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:33,000 They may not have been, you know, they may have done one term and not have gotten to 342 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:38,000 a leadership level aside from pure leadership, but those skills that they, I would hope that 343 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:44,320 those skills that they earned and acquired while in the service assisted them in finding 344 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,280 out what they wanted to do later in life. 345 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:51,800 Yeah, they'll certainly have value that you have to realize that and put it forth. 346 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:57,800 You mentioned the situations that you've been in and the trauma that you're still kind of 347 00:25:57,800 --> 00:25:59,560 going through. 348 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:06,320 Talk about why being a part of a wounded warrior project and particularly if you're a wounded 349 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:12,280 women warrior, this is something you ought to take a look at and explore. 350 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:20,280 I think it goes back to what we talked about earlier, Jim, about finding your community, 351 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:21,280 right? 352 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:26,000 About finding people who have been through similar experiences that you feel comfortable 353 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:32,400 about talking about your experiences with and feel that there's a safe space where you 354 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:33,960 won't be judged. 355 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:40,520 In every single one of our face-to-face programming, whether it be physical health alumnus, alumni 356 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:48,760 that's focused on connection and social opportunities, or our project audits, which are mental health-based 357 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:54,680 adventure programming, there is a focus on a cohort about meeting people in your community 358 00:26:54,680 --> 00:27:00,200 who have experienced what you've experienced that you can feel comfortable with, whether 359 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:05,440 it be you need to cuss about something because sometimes we put filters on ourselves. 360 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:10,320 If you need to let that aspect out, if you want to talk about a personal moment or if 361 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:17,720 you just want to talk about what you saw in Hawaii, Germany, Iraq, Korea, and have these 362 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:23,160 key points of your lives be discussed, that's what you find in a VSO and that's definitely 363 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,120 what you find in a wounded warrior project. 364 00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:31,680 Through those connections and through that examination of your own life, we can lead 365 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:32,680 to better healing. 366 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:39,200 If there's a veteran out there or a family member, a veteran who thinks, maybe my guy 367 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:44,200 or gal ought to get a little more into this, it might help on the social front and a lot 368 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,240 of other things. 369 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,440 Can you give us the website and how they get themselves involved? 370 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:50,440 Sure. 371 00:27:50,440 --> 00:28:00,280 So the website is www.woundedwarriorproject, all one word, it's long, I know,.org. 372 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:05,960 And on there you will find information about the organization, specific programming we 373 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:12,320 offer, the opportunities that there are, and to register, all you need is to call or do 374 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,120 it online and all you need is proof of service. 375 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:20,840 And from there we will help work with you to make sure you're connected with a resource 376 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:22,440 in your community. 377 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,880 It's really a well done professional website. 378 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,560 You'll find it helpful with information. 379 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:32,600 So I'd tell folks to go poke around, it's www.woundedwarriorproject.org. 380 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:39,720 It's War Your Singular, not at, no S, www.woundedwarriorproject.org. 381 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,120 And it's worth looking into. 382 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:47,240 And Tracy Farrell, we really appreciate the time that you've given us today to explore 383 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:55,080 the report and data that you've done on women warriors and really appreciate you talking 384 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:56,640 to the veteran radio audience. 385 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:57,640 Thanks, Jim. 386 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:02,520 I'd just like to point out, if anybody wants to look at the report, it itself is online, 387 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:03,520 as well. 388 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:08,840 And so if you want to dig into one of the areas we talked about, please do so. 389 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:09,840 Thank you. 390 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:14,440 And I want to thank everybody for listening to Veterans Radio today. 391 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:16,000 I am Jim Fossone. 392 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,280 It's been a pleasure to be your host. 393 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,200 I'm a Veterans Disability Lawyer at Legal Help for Veterans. 394 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:30,600 And you can reach us at 800-693-4800 or legalhelpforveterans.com on the web. 395 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:35,520 You can follow Veterans Radio on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet radio 396 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:40,120 shows by visiting us at veteransradio.org. 397 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:42,840 That's veteransradio.org. 398 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,120 And until next time, you are dismissed. 399 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:50,500 If you have a VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, contact Legal Help for 400 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:54,720 Veterans at 1-800-693-4800. 401 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:58,720 They're experts in handling cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 402 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,720 Their number again, 1-800-693-4800. 403 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:08,320 We again want to thank our national sponsors, the National Veterans Business Development 404 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:17,240 Council, NVBDC.org, VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, the Vietnam Veterans of America, 405 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:26,240 Charles S. Kettles Chapter, Ann Arbor, Michigan, VFWGraph, O'Hara Post 423 in Ann Arbor, and 406 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:32,160 the American Legion Press Corn Post 46 also in Ann Arbor. 407 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:33,640 We appreciate all your support. 408 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:40,680 You can go to veteransradio.net, click on the sponsor level, and continue to support 409 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,680 keeping Veterans Radio on the air. 410 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,680 And until next time, you are dismissed. 411 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:50,440 It is Ryan here, and I have a question for you. 412 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:52,440 What do you do when you win? 413 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,280 Like, are you a fist pumper? 414 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,840 A hand clap or a high-fiver? 415 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,160 I kind of like the high-five, but if you want to hone in on those winning moves, check out 416 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:01,160 Chumba Casino. 417 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:05,280 At ChumbaCasino.com, choose from hundreds of social casino-style games for your chance 418 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,640 to redeem serious cash prizes. 419 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,920 There are new game releases weekly, plus free daily bonuses, so don't wait. 420 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,120 Start having the most fun ever at ChumbaCasino.com. 421 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:15,120 No purchase necessary. 422 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:16,120 The GW point will be prohibited by law. 423 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:26,120 C-terms and conditions, 18 plus.