T H E  V E T E R A N S  H O U R                ArmedForcesPress.Com/ - 2012 Media Edition.
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U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alyssa Gomez peers down the scope of her M24 Sniper Weapon System at the Nevada Test and Training Range on Nellis Air Force Base, Nv., May 11, 2012. Gomez, a sniper assigned to the 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron, is the ninth female in Air Force history to become a sniper after graduating from a 19-day sniper course on Fort Bliss, Texas. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Hughes.

U.S. Army Pfc. Kristina Batty dons a headscarf to meet with female Afghan villagers in Afghanistan's southern Ghazni province, May 5, 2012. Batty, a medic for a female engagement team, is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod.

Women Veterans Task Force Draft Plan Released

 VA Seeks Public Comment on Strategies

May 15, 2012

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs is releasing for public comment a draft of its strategic report to address key issues facing women Veterans. The plan outlines steps for improvements to care and services for women Veterans that are sustainable, accountable and a part of the department’s culture and operations.

“Expanding care and services to women Veterans is too important to limit ourselves solely to the views within the department, so we are seeking feedback from all stakeholders, most importantly women Veterans themselves,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The VA must be visionary and agile enough to anticipate and adjust not only to the coming increase in women Veterans, but also to the complexity and longevity of treatment needs.”

Shinseki formed a task force to develop an action plan to address women Veterans’ issues.  Since then, the group has conducted a broad survey of department experts to identify those issues and organize them by priority.  The draft report is an interim step prior to VA finalizing its overall plan.

The report comes at an important juncture in VA’s history that demands a review of the quality, quantity, and types of services and programs it provides to women Veterans.  The number of women Veterans using VA has increased 83 percent in the past decade, from about 160,000 to over 292,000 between fiscal years 2000 and 2009, compared with a 50 percent increase in men. 

Women are now the fastest growing cohort within the Veteran community. In 2011, about 1.8 million or 8 percent of the 22.2 million Veterans were women. The male Veteran population is projected to decrease from 20.2 million men in 2010 to 16.7 million by 2020. In contrast, the number of women Veterans will increase from 1.8 million in 2011 to 2 million in 2020, at which time women will make up 10.7 percent of the total Veteran population.

VA is training providers in basic and advanced topics in women’s health through mini-residencies, and over 1200 providers have currently received training. Comprehensive women’s health care can be provided within three different models of care, including comprehensive women’s clinics; separate, but shared, space women’s clinics; or integrated primary care clinics.  All of these clinic models ensure that women receive all of their primary health care (prevention, medical, and routine gynecologic care) by a single primary care provider. A network of medical directors and program managers who coordinate care for women Veterans now encompasses all 153 medical centers in the VA Health Care System.

The public notice and instructions for how to submit comments will be posted at www.regulations.gov.  The draft written report will be open for comment for 30 days, and responders will have a number of options to provide both electronic and written feedback.  Readers will also be able to participate in a public discussion board on the Internet at: http://vawomenvetstratplan.uservoice.com/forums/159415-general.

To view the report without making recommendations, please visit VA’s website at:  http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/Draft_2012_Women-Veterans_StrategicPlan.pdf.

Women veterans are eligible for the same VA benefits as male veterans. However, additional gender-specific services and benefits are available for women veterans, including breast and pelvic examinations and other general reproductive health-care services. VA provides preventive health care counseling, contraceptive services, menopause management, Pap smears and mammography. Referrals are made for services that VA is unable to provide. 

Women Veterans’ Coordinators are available in a private setting at all VA facilities to assist women veterans seeking treatment and benefits. VA health-care professionals provide counseling and treatment to help veterans overcome psychological trauma resulting from sexual trauma during active military service. Appropriate care and services are provided for any injury, illness or psychological condition resulting from such trauma.

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the First Lady

________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release April 12, 2012

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY

HONORING YOUNG WOMEN FROM MILITARY FAMILIES

Jacksonville Naval Air Station

Jacksonville, Florida

6:08 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA: Oh! (Applause.) How are you guys doing? (Applause.) You guys sit down. Rest yourselves. Are you having fun? (Applause.) There is more fun to come. I am thrilled -- thrilled -- to be here.

I want to start by thanking Maddie for her poise and for introducing me not once, but twice. (Applause.) Well done, Maddie. She is amazing. She's terrific. Very proud of her, so let's give her another round of applause. (Applause.)

A few other people that I want to thank. I want to thank Representative Corrine Brown, who's here, and Mayor Alvin Brown, who are here to -- joining us today. Thank you both for your leadership and being here with us.

I also want to take a moment to recognize all of the extraordinary men and women in uniform who are here today. You're amazing -- and your amazing spouses. Yay for the spouses. Thank you for the service that you've given. Thank you for the sacrifices that you've made. You all are the very best this country has to offer, and I am thrilled that you could join us here today.

And finally, I want to thank our guests of honor, these amazing, beautiful, well-dressed, well-put-together young women we are celebrating here today. (Applause.) And on behalf of myself and my husband, I want to tell you all truly how proud we are of you. We are so proud of you. We are inspired by you, and we are grateful for everything that you do for this country every single day. That’s why we wanted to have you here.

You see, when we talk about how our men and women in uniform sacrifice so much and serve this country so bravely, we’re not just talking about your parents. We are not. We are talking about all of you. We’re talking about our military kids and our military families, because we know that when your parents are called to serve, you all serve right alongside them.

When your parents get that call to pick up and move halfway across the country, you pick up and move right alongside them. And then, just when you finally get settled in, just when you’re feeling comfortable and make friends and start fitting in, what happens? That call comes again, right? And you have to start all over again and make new friends, and settle in, yet again.

And I know that couldn’t be easy. That can't possibly be easy for you. And I know it's even harder when your parents are deployed, and you have to keep your spirits up through all those missed holidays, and missed birthdays, and times when you would give anything in the world to have them back home.

And I know that some of you here will be -- for you, there will be an empty seat at graduation -- I know this. And for some of you, when it comes time for the prom, mom might not be there to help you pick out your dress. Dad might not be there to see you out on your date. And I know that that can't possibly be easy either.

But here’s something else that I know: Through it all –- through all the moves that you've had to make, through all those difficult moments, you all have stayed strong. I have seen it. I've seen it in so many kids like you across this country. You all have risen to the challenge.

You’ve become leaders in your schools. You're excelling in your classes. You're getting involved in all kinds of activities. You’ve become leaders in your communities, finding all kinds of ways to volunteer and give back. And many of you have stepped up at home as well, juggling activities and homework with chores and housework.

Many of you have had to put on a brave face for maybe a younger brother or sister, even when you were worried. You’ve had to reassure your parents that you were okay, even when sometimes you weren’t.

And you’ve done all of this because ultimately, you understand that your parents are part of something far bigger than themselves. You know that they protect and defend the freedoms that every single one of us holds dear. You know that their service keeps this country safe every single day. And you all are a vital part of that work. You truly are.

By working so hard at school and at home, and doing your part, you give your parents the peace of mind they need to focus on their mission. With your service, you make their service possible. And for that, we can't thank you enough. We cannot thank you enough.

Now, I know that many of you have never known anything else, right? This is your life. So for you, this is no big deal, maybe. Maybe you think it's nothing special, because this is just how you've grown up.

But I am here today -- we are all here today, and we're doing all of this today -- because you should know that this is a big deal. You are special. You all have lived lives that make you incredibly special young individuals.

As military kids, you have learned lessons and had experiences that many people don’t have in their entire lifetimes. You’ve immersed yourselves in all kinds of communities and cultures. You’ve made friends with people from all different backgrounds. And you’ve gained the wisdom and the perspective to appreciate what really matters in life.

You see, unlike a lot of young people, you all don’t take your families for granted, right? A lot of times, you have to work to stay connected to your families -- maybe through Skype. It's a lot of hard work making the most of those precious weeks of leave, saying the things that we don’t nearly say enough to the people we love –- things like “I’m so proud of you," “I don’t know what I’d do without you," “I love you more than you will ever know.”

And that’s something that always strikes me about our military families –- how dealing with the challenges of military life actually strengthens your family bonds, rather than weakening them; how spending time apart oftentimes actually brings you closer together. And all of that is part of who you are. And you should know that.

And as you get older, you will see that growing up in a military family has prepared you for life in a way that nothing else can. Because that’s really what life is about –- it’s about weathering all sorts of changes and transitions, and bumps and bruises. But it’s also about savoring the good times, right? Treasuring the people that we love and appreciating the many blessings that come with living in this great country of ours. That’s what all of you do every day.

Like your parents, you all are the very best this country has to offer. You’re role models not just for kids, but for adults and for all Americans who want to see what patriotism, sacrifice and service really looks like. That’s why we're here.

So I want to thank you all for everything that you do. I want to once again thank your parents for their service to our country.

And now -- here's where the fun begins -- I would like to announce that we have a special surprise guest who is about to join us. She is someone that I am proud to call a friend. She's a tremendous supporter and admirer of veterans and military families. And she's so amazed by your service that she's going to put you all on national TV right now.

So are you ready?

AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA: So joining us live from the set of her TV show, I'm proud to introduce the one and only Ellen DeGeneres. (Applause.)

MS. DEGENERES: Hi, everybody!

MRS. OBAMA: They're screaming.

MS. DEGENERES: Hello, Mrs. Obama!

MRS. OBAMA: Hey, Ellen.

MS. DEGENERES: We're screaming here too! (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA: What's going on?

MS. DEGENERES: I hope I'm not interrupting anything.

MRS. OBAMA: No, we're good. We're just -- good to have you here.

MS. DEGENERES: Good to be there. Congratulations on Joining Forces' one-year anniversary. Tell everybody what it's about, please.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, Joining Forces is our national initiative to make sure that all Americans honor our troops, veterans and families. This is the one-year anniversary. We've made some amazing strides, and we're here with some great military kids to give them a special thank you.

MS. DEGENERES: And that’s why I'm there, too, to give them a special thank you. You've accomplished so much already. What do you hope to accomplish this year?

MRS. OBAMA: Well, we want to do more. We want to make sure that every American does something. We're saying -- our motto is everyone can do something. It can be something as big as having you on your show, but it can also be helping mow the lawn; it can be doing what you do best, but doing it on behalf of a military family -- finding those families within your communities and reaching out to find out what they need.

So we want more of that to go on across this country.

MS. DEGENERES: So that is what you'd say if you -- if somebody says how can I help, it's all the little things. Just call up and say, what can I offer, what's my specialty?

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. And people can go to our website, joiningforces.gov. And we've got thousands of wonderful ideas, suggestions, things that are going on in communities all across this country. That’s a good place to start.

MS. DEGENERES: Great. Great. Now, Mrs. Obama, before we go any further, I think it's time we talk about the push-up situation. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: You're still bothered by that, huh?

MS. DEGENERES: Oh! (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Still feeling the wounds of defeat. (Laughter.)

MS. DEGENERES: Let's just make sure that everyone sees what we're talking about here. You were here in February, we had a competition to see who could do the most push-ups. I did 20, and you did 25. (Laughter.) Now, let's just watch the video for a second and then we'll comment.

Anything you'd like to say?

MRS. OBAMA: I could have done 35. I stopped because I felt bad for you. (Laughter and applause.)

MS. DEGENERES: I bet you could have. I actually bet you could have.

All right, we have to take a break. And we'll be back with the First Lady, Michelle Obama, and we have a surprise for a few lucky people there. We'll be right back. I'm going to do some push-ups. (Applause.)

MS. DEGENERES: Oh! I'm exhausted. I just did 53 push-ups. (Laughter and applause.)

We're back with the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. She's in Jacksonville, Florida right now with military families. (Applause.) Mrs. Obama?

MRS. OBAMA: Yes! (Applause.)

MS. DEGENERES: Mrs. Obama, tell me who you're sitting with right now.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh man, we've got some great, beautiful young ladies. They're just gorgeous. You want me to pass the mic? You want to hear from them? You want to hear who's here?

MS. DEGENERES: Sure, let me meet them.

MRS. OBAMA: All right, we've got --

Q Hi, I’m Rachel.

MS. DEGENERES: Hi, Rachel. You excited to be there today?

Q Oh, I'm extremely excited to be here. I'm so honored. I'm here with all my classmates and my family members as well.

MS. DEGENERES: Well, it's so nice to meet you Rachel. Who are you sitting next to?

Q I'm sitting next to --

Q Hey! My name's Kianna. (Laughter.)

MS. DEGENERES: Hey, Kianna! (Applause.) Hey Kianna, I love your energy. And your mom is serving overseas right now, right?

Q Yes, she is.

MS. DEGENERES: And how do you stay in touch?

Q My mom calls our house a few times a week, and I always enjoy whenever she calls the house. I love hearing her voice, but it reminds me of her background.

MS. DEGENERES: I bet, I bet. And you're sitting next to?

Q Hi Ellen. My name is Elise.

MS. DEGENERES: Hi Elise, how are you?

Q I'm good. How are you?

MS. DEGENERES: And your dad is a Navy vet? I'm fantastic, thank you. Your dad is a Navy veteran. What is the best thing about being a military kid?

Q I really think that it teaches you a lot of good characteristics and to have a lot of strength and courage. Because it's really not easy when you have a family member out in deployment.

MS. DEGENERES: I know, it certainly is not easy, and that’s why you get so much love and support from all of us. We admire your strength and everything that your parents are doing for us. (Applause.)

So my question is, it's almost prom. You're looking forward to that, I bet, right?

Q Yes. Definitely.

MS. DEGENERES: Now, Mrs. Obama, I don’t think I've ever shown you my prom picture. I just wanted to -- I want to show you my prom picture first. (Laughter and applause.)

MRS. OBAMA: That is an excellent picture. Love the dress. Love the dress.

MS. DEGENERES: Thank you very much. That was a tablecloth at one point. (Laughter.) Now, I heard you have a good one too, so I thought I would share yours. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: That split was a little high. I don’t know if I'd let my kids go out with a split that high, so let's not show this to Malia and Sasha.

MS. DEGENERES: All right. Were you shopping at Pier One or something? (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: You've never done the wicker chair shot? That’s standard.

MS. DEGENERES: No, I've seen the wicker chairs before but -- I didn’t know it was standard.

All right. Well, listen, JC Penny knows that you guys are getting ready for prom. They're a one-stop shop for all your prom needs. They have dresses, shoes, accessories -- even a salon -- all at great prices. So they're giving all three of you a $250 JC Penny giftcard. (Applause.)

And I know there are 300 other students there with you all for the event today who need to get ready for the prom as well. So all of you students who are there in Florida with Mrs. Obama are also getting a $250 JC Penny giftcard. (Applause.)

Thank you so much for your time today, Mrs. Obama. You know I admire you, I think you're an amazing, amazing woman. Thank you for all that you're doing. We're going to put something up on our website if anyone wants to get involved with Joining Forces. And we send our love and our support to all of you there. Thank you so much for all you do. And thank you, again, Mrs. Obama, for your time.

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, Ellen. We love you. This is amazing. (Applause.) Thank you.

MS. DEGENERES: Love you, too. We'll be right back.

END 6:30 P.M. EDT

Group Favors Lifting Ban on Women in Combat

A commission of military officers and civilians plans to recommend lifting the ban on allowing women in combat while also ensuring that Defense Department policies promote equal opportunity.

Commission Studies Role of Women in Combat

The Defense Department will review the forthcoming report of a congressional commission created to offer recommendations on how to improve diversity within the armed forces.

A Tribute to Senior Airman Ashton Goodman

Senior Airman Ashton Goodman was instrumental in advancing women's affairs in Afghanistan's Panjshir Province. On May 23, she participated in a shura, or meeting, with the Afghan Director of Women's Affairs and 20 local women and teenage girls. The group discussed future educational opportunities for the valley's women and girls. Airman Goodman lost her life May 26 from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Stacie N. Shafran)

Senior Airman Ashton Goodman and Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton atop "Lion Hill" behind their Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan May 24, 2009. Colonel Stratton served as the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team's commander while Airman Goodman spent the majority of her deployment as the Panjshir PRT's primary tactical driver and usually served as the commander's driver. Both Airmen lost their lives May 26 from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Stacie N. Shafran)

by Capt. Stacie N. Shafran
Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs

5/29/2009 - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- On May 26, Senior Airman Ashton Goodman, Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II, the commander of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, and Army Master Sgt. Blue Rowe were killed near here from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.

Over the past few weeks, this senior airman on the verge of becoming a non-commissioned officer seemed to transform in front of her teammate's eyes. Everyone already knew that Airman Goodman was a capable vehicle operator.

The Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team's main project has been the construction of a $28 million road connecting Panjshir to the Badakhshan province, as well as all neighboring provinces. Airman Goodman supported countless engineering missions to the province's most northern and remote district of Paryan where the final leg of the 80-mile road is presently under construction.

It seems, though, that as her tour on Panjshir's Provincial Reconstruction Team came to an end, she still had a few things left on her to-do list. Over the past month, Airman Goodman, an aspiring writer and photographer, volunteered to work in the public affairs office. Eager to tell her team's story, she penned her first news story and quickly found herself published on the Air Force Web site.

She also channeled her passion and creativity every day for two weeks into producing the team's yearbook. Within days of launching an impressive advertising campaign, she had books sold to nearly everyone she came into contact with.

As a 21-year-old young woman, Airman Goodman also found herself in a unique position mentoring the province's female Afghan leadership. During weekly meetings with the Director of Women's Affairs, she advanced the economic and social development of women in Panjshir.

On May 18, she led the tremendous undertaking to deliver much-needed food and house supplies to more than 100 poor women. As the group drove up the narrow, steep, winding road to the village, she beamed with excitement over the chance to personally help these women.

Over the next few days, leading into Memorial Day weekend, she'd go on to mingle with female teachers during a "Teacher's Day" celebration, participate in a women's shura (meeting), attend a photography exhibit at Ahmad Shah Massoud's tomb where she saw Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, one of the country's presidential candidates and sample freshly made ice cream in a local bazaar.

Her contributions to this team are countless and now, as I look at the empty desk next to me in the small office I shared for the past month with Airman Goodman, I smile when I think about the past month I shared with her and the impact she made on Panjshir Province. Her vivacious spirit, zest of life, and eagerness to experience it all will forever be remembered by our team.

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