Military veteran Erin Colson has lengthy needed to collect feminine veterans from throughout the state in a single place to speak concerning the distinctive points going through ladies who’ve served in uniform.
“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.
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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.”
Prime Journal Star Photographs for September
Lincoln Excessive gamers Adonis Hutchinson (2), Javon Leuty (22) and Beni Ngoyi (8) stroll out of the tunnel earlier than taking up Omaha Northwest on Friday at Beechner Complicated.
Nebraska’s Madi Kubik (prime left) reacts after a kill by teammate Lindsay Krause (middle) in opposition to Loyola Marymount on Thursday on the Devaney Sports activities Middle.
Danish artist Julie Sass works Wednesday to assemble her present, “IMAGE: momentary constellation,” at Fiendish Plots at 2130 Magnum Circle.
Nebraska’s Nicklin Hames (middle) reacts after a serve by Lexi Rodriguez (proper) gained the second set for the Huskers on the Devaney Sports activities Middle on Saturday.
A airman walks alongside the wing of now retired WC-135C/W, throughout a retirement ceremony for the ultimate “nuke sniffer” plane utilized by The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth on the Lincoln Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Lincoln, NE. The WC-135 Fixed Phoenix is a special-purpose plane derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and utilized by the US Air Power. Its mission is to gather samples from the environment for the aim of detecting and figuring out nuclear explosions. Additionally it is informally known as the “climate hen” or “the sniffer” by employees on this system and worldwide media respectively. The fifty fifth Wing will retired one in every of it jets and welcomed its newest throughout a 1 p.m. ceremony on the Lincoln Airport. The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth formally retired the WC-135C/W and formally welcomed WC-135R tail quantity 4836 to its fleet. Tail 4836 is the primary of three WC-135R deliveries to the wing, whereas tail 2667 is the final of the outdated WC-135C/W fleet to be retired.
Development of the brand new soccer coaching complicated has progressed to the purpose that followers will be capable to entry the northeast nook of Memorial Stadium this season.
Nebraska’s Anthony Grant (left) tries to interrupt unfastened from North Dakota’s Marcus Vaughn-Jones (9) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln North Star’s Jace Coleman (14) is tackled by Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Discipline.
Nebraska’s Bekka Allick (left) and Nicklin Hames have fun after a Husker kill in opposition to Mississippi within the second set on the Devaney Sports activities Middle on Saturday.
Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann takes the sector earlier than the sport in opposition to North Dakota on Saturday. Hausmann, a real freshman, performed 40 snaps within the sport.
Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez (middle left) and Madi Kubik (prime proper) have fun with their staff Kubik’s match-ending kill in opposition to Loyola Marymount on Thursday on the Devaney Sports activities Middle.
Nebraska edge rusher Garrett Nelson walks off the sector after the Huskers’ win in opposition to North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Mario Garcia of Lincoln, a passenger on the primary flight to Houston early Friday, picks up souvenirs at Lincoln Airport’s first flight ceremony.
Nebraska operating again Ajay Allen celebrates his fourth-quarter landing in opposition to North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s Lindsay Krause (22) hits a ball previous Creighton defenders on Wednesday at CHI Well being Middle Omaha.
Nebraska coach Scott Frost talks with North Dakota coach Bubba Schweigert earlier than Saturday’s sport at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s bench reacts to a play in the course of the match in opposition to Creighton on Wednesday at CHI Well being Middle Omaha.
Followers arrive at Memorial Stadium earlier than the North Dakota sport on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln North Star gamers have fun after successful a softball sport in opposition to Lincoln Pius X Thursday at Doris Bair Softball Complicated.
Shawna Fosket holds a Tremendous Punch, a punch needle software she’s labored to develop. A Kickstarter marketing campaign has raised nearly $6,000.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost high-fives a younger fan earlier than the North Dakota sport on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln Southeast’s Henry Woods (prime) is introduced down by Lincoln East’s Carter Tempelmeyer on Friday at Seacrest Discipline.
A primary-quarter moon rises over Memorial Stadium towards the top of the Nebraska-North Dakota sport on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln Excessive’s Religion Van Eck (left) makes an attempt to dam Lincoln Northeast’s Genna LeMay within the second set at Lincoln Northeast on Tuesday.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost walks off the sector after the Huskers misplaced to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
S-E-M’s Creyton Line (left) grabs the helmet of Parkview Christian’s Alex Rohrbaugh on Friday, Sept. 9, at Larry and Carol Frost Discipline.
Nebraska volleyball head coach John Prepare dinner (left) talks with Tyler Hildebrand, Lengthy Seashore State’s head coach and a former assistant at Nebraska beneath Prepare dinner, on Saturday, Sept. 10, on the Devaney Sports activities Middle.
Nebraska’s Kaitlyn Hord celebrates after scoring a degree in opposition to Lengthy Seashore State on Saturday, Sept. 10, on the Devaney Sports activities Middle.
Eli Soell of Lincoln (proper) celebrates a Nebraska landing in opposition to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Georgia Southern’s Kyle Vantrease leaps over Nebraska’s Ernest Hausmann (backside left) and Luke Reimer (backside middle) to attain the game-winning landing on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
A take a look at Nebraska’s gentle present after the third quarter of the Georgia Southern sport Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Scott Frost enters a truck to exit Memorial Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 11, after he was fired as Nebraska’s head soccer coach.
Ashland-Greenwood’s Dane Jacobsen practices throws throughout warmups earlier than the Bluejays’ sport in opposition to Aurora on Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.
Aurora’s Carlos Collazo (left) is tackled by Ashland-Greenwood’s Logan Sobota (middle) and Thomas Spears (proper) throughout a run within the second quarter Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.
Lincoln North Star’s Dylan Hallett (3) tackles Kearney’s Kole Throckmorton (91) on Thursday, Sept. 8, at Seacrest Discipline.
Lincoln Southwest’s Jack Baptista (3) dives for the pylon in opposition to Lincoln East on Friday, Sept. 9, at Seacrest Discipline.
Nebraska huge receiver Trey Palmer (3) cannot pull in a move in opposition to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
A Nebraska fan reacts to a missed subject purpose as time expired within the Huskers’ 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Sam Simpson on Friday walks via a subject of U.S. flags arrange in reminiscence of those that died on 9/11, Friday, Sept. 9. Volunteers positioned 2,977 flags on the College of Nebraska-Lincoln’s East Campus and wrote thanks playing cards for native firefighters, regulation enforcement and residents on the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Healthcare System.
Lincoln Excessive’s Liam Thew (33) warms up earlier than Friday’s sport between Lincoln Excessive and Grand Island on the Beechner Athletic Complicated.
Staff assemble a set for Fox Massive Midday Kickoff present, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at College of Nebraska Union, in Lincoln.
Lincoln East’s Kamdyn Roebke catches a move in opposition to Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Discipline.
Nebraska’s Anthony Grant (10) hurdles Oklahoma’s Kani Walker (26) and Damond Harmon (17) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph takes the sector with the Huskers earlier than the sport in opposition to Oklahoma on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.