When Tara Wise joined the U.S. Navy in 1992, she was excited to be the first woman in her family to follow its tradition of military service. But after six years of active duty and life-altering experiences with sexual trauma that led to thoughts of suicide, Wise's initial enthusiasm gave way to a new commitment. One she hoped would bring to light the realities of military life for women.

To assist in this endeavor, the USC School of Social Work’s San Diego Academic Center partnered with Wise and the National Women Veterans Association of America—which she founded—to host a panel discussion to educate future military social workers about the hurdles active duty and veteran women confront.

“Women face a number of challenges in direct relation to their military service, and as female involvement in the armed forces increases, it's important that future social work practitioners are knowledgeable of these challenges and can effectively provide the support and services needed,” said Master of Social Work student Lia Andrews, who coordinated the event and serves as the academic center’s Military Social Work Caucus representative and its military and veteran student liaison.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Women Veterans Task Force, 19.4 percent of service women from the last few military operations have been victims of military sexual trauma. Twenty-two percent of service women have been diagnosed with mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depressive disorders. Female veterans are also 30 percent less likely to enroll in VA health care services and are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.

Wise, along with Melissa Jacuinde, a former private in the Army and survivor of military sexual trauma, and Nicky Fairley, a former first class petty officer in the Navy, candidly shared their military experiences with students. Fairley, now an ordained pastor, talked about the injury that ended her 12-year naval career and redirected her life’s path, and Jacuinde described how she continues to be affected by post-traumatic stress nearly 30 years after experiencing military sexual assault.

“There is so much I learned from hearing these women speak,” said MSW student Rosa Hernandez. “There is a great need for female-specific military support services, like responding to incidents of military sexual trauma. Most of the speakers never considered themselves survivors or victims of such trauma because no one in the military wants to talk about it. As future clinicians, we need to make sure it’s OK to talk about it.”

MSW student Toecia Land said that after hearing from the panelists, she would like to see more research focused on women's experiences in the military.

“Being a female in the military is its own culture, and as future social workers, it is essential that we are culturally competent,” she said. “Now is the time to set aside funding for research and services specifically designed to address the needs of female veterans and ensure future practitioners have the additional training needed to be effective clinicians.”

Andrews said that she hoped this event broadened people’s understanding of what it can be like to serve as a woman in the military.

“When people think of veterans, the image they most frequently see is that of a male solider in uniform,” she said. “Unfortunately, the female experience and perspective get lost when talking about the needs of active duty and veteran service men and women. This is something that needs to change.”