Nebraska to hold symposium for women veterans this weekend in Kearney

“I’ve been desirous about it for a really very long time — earlier than I even acquired this job,” stated Colson, 43, who’s the state ladies’s coordinator for the Nebraska Division of Veterans Affairs.

This weekend it’s lastly taking place. Greater than 150 ladies veterans will collect Saturday and Sunday in Kearney for the division’s first Nebraska Girls Veterans Symposium.

The occasion, on the Vacation Inn, will characteristic panel discussions, listening classes and a keynote handle by Denise Rohan, previous nationwide commander of the American Legion.

The New Century Artwork Guild will placed on an exhibition of artwork by ladies veterans, and Warrior Writers will conduct a journaling train. Interviews shall be carried out for the Veterans Historical past Venture of the Library of Congress, an oral historical past assortment created in 2000.

The symposium can even embrace a screening of “Lioness,” a documentary about among the first ladies to serve with beforehand all-male Marine fight models in Iraq in 2004.

It’s regarded as the most important gathering of feminine veterans in Nebraska for the reason that Flight of Honor for feminine veterans to Washington, D.C., which came about precisely 4 years in the past.

“We’re super-duper excited for the symposium,” stated Jen Jelinek, founding father of a brand new assist group referred to as Nebraska/Western Iowa Girls Veterans that’s centered on suicide prevention.

Girls at present make up about 16% of the U.S. armed forces, in keeping with a 2020 report by the Brookings Establishment on range within the armed forces. They’ve served in uniform a minimum of since World Struggle II. However solely within the post-9/11 period have ladies grow to be absolutely built-in in any respect ranks and in every kind of jobs, together with fight arms.

Jelinek, 36, served within the Military from 2007-13 as a behavioral well being specialist. She’ll participate in a panel referred to as “Celebrating Who I Was and What I’ve Turn into.”

“Now we have now an opportunity to mirror on the long run of service since 9/11,” she stated. “All of us come from completely different walks of life. However we have now the identical story.”

Each lady veteran has had the expertise of serving in a male-dominated establishment. Colson stated that features these set as much as serve veterans.

“The VA has come a great distance, however it hasn’t gone far sufficient,” she stated.

Colson stated she typically visits the VA together with her husband, who’s a twice-wounded fight veteran.

“They routinely assume that he’s the veteran, when it’s me coming in for the appointment,” she stated.

She has additionally had the expertise of being ignored when male veterans round her are thanked for his or her service.

“There was a bit twinge like, ‘Hey, me too,’ ” she stated.

Colson stated she additionally hopes to make use of the convention to attract in ladies vets from rural areas, who typically really feel remoted from the veteran neighborhood. Kearney was chosen for this primary symposium as a result of it’s nearer to extra of these areas than the city facilities of Omaha and Lincoln.

“Rural veterans in Nebraska are underserved,” she stated. “Rural ladies veterans in Nebraska are very underserved.”

Colson stated ladies veterans should still signal as much as attend the symposium via the web site: veterans.nebraska.gov/womenveterans. There isn’t any registration price.

“I’m hoping for a tighter veteran neighborhood. I’m hoping that ladies shall be better-served,” she stated. “I need them to know that, someplace within the state, there’s somebody they’ll speak to. They’re not forgotten.”