When Dawn Halfaker graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and received her U.S. Army officer commission in 2001, her hopes were set on completing a challenging and rewarding active-duty service period.
This four-year varsity basketball letter winner never even contemplated being disabled while at West Point and “kicked and screamed” to be stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. She was excited to become a member of the 293rd Military Police Company that was preparing to deploy.
By its very nature, war is unpredictable. The outcome of a battle and the course of a soldier’s life can change in an instant. Such was the case for First Lieutenant Halfaker when, on June 19, 2004, her convoy of Humvees came under fire. While on patrol in Baquba, a city 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, a rocket-propelled grenade tore through the engine of her vehicle and flying debris burst through her upper arm.
Waking Up an Amputee
Two weeks later, she awoke at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center having had her arm amputated to save her life. And several months later, Capt. Halfaker was discharged and retired from active duty service. Still in her 20s, she is now a disabled veteran.
“It makes me feel proud to be a veteran, but it also makes me feel old,” Halfaker explains. “Just like a lot of people my age, I think I associate the word ‘veteran’ with the Vietnam War because that was the last war where large numbers of Americans had to deploy and large numbers of soldiers were injured and KIA (killed in action).”
Women Veterans Growing in Numbers
Halfaker is one of an increasingly large number of women veterans. Since the Revolutionary War, some 2.5 million women have served in the different branches of the United States military. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), there are approximately 23.8 million living veterans in the United States and Puerto Rico, including 1,744,580 women. VA also reports that 12 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans, a larger percentage than at any other time in history, are women.
Women Veterans Eligible for VA Benefits
As the percentage of women veterans increases, the Department of Veterans Affairs has increased its services. Women veterans are eligible for the same VA benefits as men and can also receive additional gender-specific services. Referrals are made for services that VA is unable to provide.
Women veterans who are not otherwise eligible for VA health care may still receive certain services related to certain traumas associated with active duty service or training if the service was in the National Guard or Reserves. They do not need to enroll in the VA network to receive these services.
Women Veterans the Same
Being a female veteran does not mean being different.
“In my eyes, I’m just like any other veteran of this generation, but I understand how the word ‘veteran’ has traditionally been associated with males,” said Halfaker. “I see how there is an element of curiosity with female veterans but, at the same time, I feel strongly about what we as females have done and what we are doing in this current conflict.”
Halfaker believes it is important for women veterans to help each other and share their experiences by building a network.
“Connecting with other female veterans has definitely been healthy for me because they have been the ones who have paved the way in the past and opened doors for us through their efforts. What they went through and did for our generation has been important and should not be overlooked. It’s also important for me to see where they are now and what they have done, whether they are injured or not,” she concluded.
Other Facts About Women Veterans
• In 2007, the median age of all living veterans was 60 years old, 61 for men and 47 for women.
• States with the largest number of women veterans were California, Texas, Florida, Virginia, and Georgia.
• The first woman to receive The Purple Heart was Annie G. Fox while serving at Hickam Field during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941.
• The first woman to receive The Bronze Star was 1Lt Cordelia E. Cook, Army Nurse Corps, during WWII in Italy. Lt Cook was also awarded The Purple Heart, becoming the first woman to receive two awards.
• During the Vietnam War 265,000 women served, 10,000 of those in combat. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated in 1993 as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Vietnam veteran Diane Carlson Evans, RN, spearheaded the efforts.
• In 1997, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.
Online resources for women veterans
VA Information for women veterans – http://www1.va.gov/womenvet/
Paralyzed Veterans of America – www.pva.org
Vietnam Women’s Memorial – www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org
Women in Military Service for America Memorial – www.womensmemorial.org
Captain Barb’s Women Veterans Page – http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/index.html
Disabled Sports USA – www.dsusa.org
Wounded Warrior Project – http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
See Related Articles
Learn more about how veterans with amputations have changed throughout history, in Disabled Veterans: From Amputees in the Civil War to SCI in the Iraq War.
See Disabled Veteran Says: It's Simple, We Volunteered for You to learn more about one veteran with an amputation recovering with his snowboard and the Wounded Warrior Project.
