We are Marching

New York State has embraced us.  Joanne Yepsen, from our board of advisors, is supporting us in a big way. She is hosting a screening/fundraiser in Albany and helping us find funding to have a state-wide tour. The Stratton Va, the Buffalo Va and others are using our film with female veterans, as well as showing it to celebrate the openings of their women’s clinics. Also in Albany, Service is being featured at a big conference about trauma and healing: Weaving a World Without Violence, NYSCASA’s statewide conference on sexual violence prevention and intervention. 

There are many other screenings in the planning stages for California, DC, Atlanta and Boston— and many large veteran organizations are reaching out to us.

It feels like the beginning of a big grass roots distribution. Our board of advisors is really helping us. We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Bridget Cantrell is going to write our guidebook with contributions from Christina Roof and several of our vets. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that. We are so honored.

And, as always, grateful to you—remarkable women marching forward…we are building a team to support you.

Patty and Marcia 

Yup!

It has been holidays, grant proposals and moving along…

latest update: Marcia and I are meeting with good friends of every part of this project…NY Staters who are unfolding great retreats for you…we will be a part of those retreats…we are beginning to grow this kind of non-commercial distribution nationally…it’s all about the healing…from all kinds of injuries…

Now that all the great organizations, great articles, great films are starting to get out there and get attention focused on your issues…really  moving mountains, I want say again that this is all because of YOU.

Your COURAGE.

Your STAMINA.

Your GRACE.

Your COURAGE,  

made all this happen. 

More than thanks,

Patty

Rep. Jackie Speier, we salute you. 

I was  with Terri Odom to support her through this important event. It was an honor to meet so many of our face book friends face to face in real time…over dinner, at the news conference, and at lunch after.

Courageous survivors who speak out…you are the reason this issue has come, at long last, into the light.—brave men and women  continue to serve us all.

Many thanks,

Patty

click below to watch the press conference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_TyI9yn8zQ

NYC  private screening post parade…audience mostly civilian with a proud contingent of vets with service dogs…Mariette with us and Sue there via skype ..Holly Fancher in the audience radiating the same glow she does in the film…..cannot convey how deeply moved everyone was and how, without exception, they said they were were not just moved by the challenges female veterans face, but that they came away feeling hopeful, optimistic…I believe that all of you, our women veterans, through your small and huge achievements, are moving mountains…for all of us. 

Salute!

and love,

P

I have been thinking about what to say to all of you on Veterans Day. I have nothing to say but that I admire you and I love you. You deserve more than a parade and a holiday, you deserve SERVICE…now that you have marched home, or been medivaced home, or been cruelly assaulted and then discharged home. We are having a private screening in NYC today.  That is how we are observing this day in your honor. The stories that you and the women in our film tell speak volumes: stories of strong women who have had to struggle to survive…you radiate the triumph of love over betrayal. So, thank you… for many things, in particular, the honor of your company. 

I have just returned from a day at Slippery Rock University, organized by Mike Crum, a Marine vet, that was wonderful. I went with Kim and her service dog, Toby. In addition to screening, we met so many wonderful people…special thanks to Mike for bringing together the women’s studies dept., the sociology department, local VA representatives, and many students whose consciousness he wanted to see be raised. It was a great event and Mike is the kind of man who represents the best of the veteran community. A true advocate…I mean, WOW, Mike brought a film about women veterans to his school!

A salute to you!

Patty

Until the end of festival season and a secure television airdate, we are not having any public screenings, but we have had these private test screenings which went very well.

11/11/11

Private Screening after the Veterans Day Parade for friends of the project

11/8/11
Private Screening at Slippery Rock University
Discussion after with Patricia Lee Stotter, Kim Specht with Toby, her service dog, and SRU community.

10/27/11
Private Screening for Women’s Advisory Board of the Center for Women Veterans, hosted by Dr. Betty Moseley Brown

10/28/11
WREI Meetings at WIMSA
Just a quick note about our trip to DC. We were enthusiastically received by the advisory board of the Center for Women Veterans. It is an advocacy program run within the VA. The idea for the screening was initiated by Dr. Betty Moseley Brown and we received a warm welcome from the center director, Irene Trowell-Harris and the board members who are advocates for women vets from all over the country. They were all extremely enthusiastic about SERVICE and will try to help us get it out to all of you. We were wowed by Colonel Ines White, Military Director DACOWITS. Christina Roof came to support us. She joined us for a bite afterward to celebrate. 
The next day we went to the WREI conference. There were lots of talks on changing military culture to deal with MST and everyone was dismayed that in 20 years there has not been a lot more progress. Some of the presenters were women professors who teach in the officer training military academies. That in itself is good for women and they talked about training men and women about the myths people tell themselves about rape.

 Just a quick note about our trip to DC. We were enthusiastically received by the advisory board of the Center for Women Veterans. It is an advocacy program run within the VA. The idea for the screening was initiated by Dr. Betty Moseley Brown and we received a warm welcome from the center director, IreneTrowell-Harris and the board members who are advocates for women vets from all over the country. They were all extremely enthusiastic about SERVICE and will try to help us get it out to all of you. We were really impressed by Colonel Ines White, Military Director DACOWITS. Christina Roof came to support us. She joined us for a bite afterward to celebrate. 

The next day we went to the WREI conference. There we were wowed by an Australian airforce Wing Commander Dee Gibbon, a pilot who is working to find a way to attract more women to flying. There were lots of talks on changing military culture to deal with MST and everyone was dismayed that in 20 years there has not been a lot more progress. Some of the presenters were women professors who teach in the officer training military academies. That in itself is good for women and they talked about training men and women about the myths people tell themselves about rape. There is a new class on women in the military at the U.S.Naval Academy as well.S.W.A.N. was represented and emphasized how change can only come with accountability and changes needed to make that become a reality . We met a lovely writer,producer, professor,Laura Browder who gave a great presentation and is working on a documentary about Moms in the military. Marcia got 2 minutes to pitch SERVICE and we both had a meet and greet with people in the lobby of the Women’s Memorial.

Throughout our DC visit, we met women working in every organization with which many of you are experiencing tremendous frustration, and many of these amazing woman are dedicating themselves, exhausting themselves… trying to address the problems you are struggling with…I make no apologies for any lack of service any woman who has served experiences, but I can tell you they watched our film…which ain’t pollyanna …it is a tough film…we go there…and they were relieved to see the issues getting out there…

Last night, soon after return from DC ,  Marcia and I went to an event in NYC honoring Mrs. Patricia Shinseki, wife of Secretary of the VA, Eric K. Shinseki. We had an opportunity to discuss our project with Secretary Shinseki and we were very impressed by the depth of his interest and willingness to help. He is very concerned about ways in which the VA is not meeting your needs. We were in a room of suits, all waiting in line to meet him, and he took a lot of time listening to us and sharing his thoughts about how important these issues are and giving us advice.

Tomorrow night , Marcia is moderating a panel with the director of Lioness , the current producer of the PBS series on Women, War and Peace and yours truly . We will be discussing Women and the Military. All about you and your sisters all over the world and how they are being presenting in the media. The event is being co-sponsored by New York Women in Film and Television and the NYU Institute of Journalism.

Next?  Winging our way to a screening with Q&A/discussion after at Slippery Rock University, just outside Pittsburgh. 

one more phew,
Patty

Hello friends.

This interview with a male MST survivor, is best introduced with these words from Lorrie Bunes, the wife of another man who survived MST:(and thank you for this Lorrie)

“When a person male or female is assaulted it changes their identity. The violation is part of them and they no longer trust their own instincts when judging a situation or the people around them. Its almost as if from that point forward they become a spectator in life hoping and praying that they will be safe. Some choose to cocoon themselves with familiar and safe surroundings but it affects them, their families, their children their entire way of existing. I think that the hardest part is watching the person you love just exist. It is a helpless feeling to try all you can to reassure a victim of MST that the world is not a horrible place and that there is hope.”
Lorrie Bunes.

http://www.servicethefilm.com/Wayne%20MEND%20MST%2010%2013%20logic.mp3

Thank you, Wayne…and thanks to all of you who have survived MST and shared your stories. Your courage will make it better for those who follow in your boots!

Patty

 Victoria Wegwert and Cassaundra StJohn who created F7, http://www.F7GROUP.com/   F7 recognizes and believes in the courage, value and abilities of Female Veterans and Women In & Beside the Uniform. They are successful business women who collaborate and provide business services to empower the Female Veterans and Women who serve our country in many capacities to engage her entrepreneurial pursuits!

Thank you, sisters!!

During the hurricane, a female veteran  was traveling away from the coast with her young children. She stopped in a motel and the next morning at breakfast, because a child dropped a bit of food and spilled some maple syrup, she was screamed at, called “poor white trash” and told to leave. Her facebook friends were outraged and the incident went viral.

After several conversations I had with the local hotel manager, the folks there the next day, and  finally, the top of the food chain, the head of PR for the corporation that owns the hotel chain, I reached someone who got it. He agreed with me that the incident was, essentially, a hate crime against a woman. Many of the female veterans in our groups were triggered by the event and the unfolding of the story. I want to post my final thoughts about it here.

• They say no one can understand MST but those who have experienced it,and that is true. They say no one can understand the invisible injuries like PTSD except those who have it, and that is true. They  say no one can understand being treated as a less than equal person unless they have experienced discrimination, and that is true. BUT, that is only true to the extent that we can never understand, fully, what another person has experienced. BUT we sure as hell can dedicate our lives to helping each other understand each other better and make it unacceptable and illegal to discriminate and abuse power. No BUTs about that.

Here’s to the power of our network!!

Love, Patty