U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CWV – News Update

Do you feel balanced in your day-to-day life? Are you able to find balance between activity and rest? To find that balance we have to learn to slow down and take stock of all that is going on. When you go inward and balance your internal feelings and thoughts, you can better balance all that is going on around you. In order to be able to learn how to be open to receiving from the world around you, you have to be able to settle yourself and relax. [From VA News]

Navy Veteran Denise Brown served from 1975 to 1998 onboard various ships as a communications technician operator and radioman. Denise Brown was born in Bloomington, Indiana. She enlisted in the Navy in Dec. 1974 and attended bootcamp in Orlando, Florida. [From VA News]

We honor her service.

Each month, VA’s Center for Women Veterans profiles a different woman Veteran author as part of its Women Veteran Authors Book Corner. This month’s author is Army Veteran Dr. Estacy Colon Porter, a first-generation Garifuna-American who served for 22 years. Dr. Porter wrote the book “It’s Not the Same: Self-Care strategies to step into your healing with Grit, Grace and Resilience.” She writes about the process of grief and loss not solely based on physical death but grief and loss of self, relationships which transforms us. [From VA News]

When the first plane struck the World Trade Center, 17-year old Jennifer Higginbotham was standing by the vending machines in her high school break room, her eyes glued to the television. Like everyone else in her hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. [From VA News]

If you’re a Veteran who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or another orientation or identity (LGBTQ+) who is facing a physical or mental health challenge, you’re not alone. VA welcomes all Veterans and their families and caregivers, including Veterans with diverse gender identities, sexual orientations and family structures. [From VA News]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Veteran Sheila McGlown, who served in the Air Force and now works as a breast cancer advocate. Sheila Marie McGlown joined the Air Force in 1984, with goals of creating increased representation for Black women in the military. She served as a records manager and completed 25 years active duty before being medically retired in December 2009 when she was diagnosed with cancer. [From VA News]

We honor her service.

Women Veterans belong at VA. That’s why every VA has a Women Veteran Program Manager (WVPM) who can help you connect with resources and steer you to the services you need. [From VA News]

As we begin another year, it can be helpful to think about goals we may have, where we would like to spend our time and energy, and even what we might want to stop doing. Have you ever set New Year’s resolutions? Perhaps lose/gain/maintain weight, go the gym, get more sleep, or find more time for self-care. Did you stick to those resolutions throughout the year? [From VA News]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Kathy Spangler, who served as a nurse in Afghanistan caring for American soldiers and Afghan citizens. Kathy Spangler knew from a young age that she wanted to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps to become a nurse and enter a position in health care. Her grandmother would tell her heroic stories growing up of sacrifice and caring for patients, while her father would tell her stories of his 30 years in the Air Force. [From VA News]

We honor her service.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Marion Enright Bench, one of the first women activated for the WAVES program throughout World War II. Marion Bench was one of the first women activated for the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program in World War II for the U.S. Navy. She was born in Larchmont, New York, in 1911, and studied at Manhattanville College, graduating in 1933. [From VA News]

We honor her service.

Get the Recruitment & Retention, Employment & Integration, Well Being & Treatment, Servicwomen in the News, Women Veterans, and Upcoming Events DACOWITS news from December 2022. [From DACOWITS]