Countdown to 'After the Uniform' Day 6: The Female Combat Veteran

For the first time in US military history, women are combat veterans.  With this latest trend, the needs for veterans' care have changed drastically over the past decade of war.  What has been done to address this?

Essentially Nothing.  Nada. Zip.  Zilch.

In my area there are hundreds of beds for male homeless veterans.  From what I have been able to discover, there are FOUR beds for female homeless veterans.  This is disturbing and reprehensible.  It's not like this change happened overnight.  The first female POW was rescued during the first year of the war in Iraq.

Despite this, there are very few services for female veterans.  There is even still a stigma from male combat veterans.  We need to provide for female veterans' needs and it needs to start now.  Veterans' Organizations need to carry the torch and advocate for their female members and provide resources as well.  We all need to do our part.  The biggest responsibility falls on the male combat veterans.  We need to remember that this war has bred a large number of female combat veterans.  The "good 'ol boys" attitude is exclusionary and does not encourage female combat veterans to come forward.  We need to understand that this issue affects all warfighters, regardless of gender.

Female Combat Veterans, please come forward and let your voices be heard.  We can't do this without you either!