Caring For America's Women Warriors

Is The VA Equipped To Help Wounded Servicewomen Facing Some Unique Battles?

(CBS)  It's a weekend of firsts: the first camp just for women wounded in war -- and the first golf swing for retired Army Sergeant Diane Cochran.

After her Humvee rolled over in Afghanistan, doctors thought the mother of three would never walk again, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace.

"What does it feel like to be standing up and hitting balls today?" Wallace asks.

"It's humbling," Diane says as tears well up in her eyes. "And I'm overwhelmed."

It's OK to cry at the camp.

"Our whole career-at least my whole career-you want not to be prissy. You want to be like the guys," Diane says. "This is nice to be able to share with another girl-another female."

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Read Wallace's blog post about her visit to the camp.

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Danielle Green-Byrd -- a former college basketball star -- lost her left hand to a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq.

"I love ponytails. I have been trying to show my husband how to do a ponytail," she says. "Even putting on a bra. A bra -- that can be a challenge, but I do it."

"Chicks love scars," Diane says. "I heard that at Walter Reed all the time. Well do guys love scars? I don't know."

At war, they tried to be just one of the boys. At home, they struggle to be a woman again.

"I remember lying there and thinking I just want to be able to wear high heels and have painted toenails," Leslie, an amputee who served in Bosnia, says. "It was just wanting that part of that woman that you feel that you're going to lose when you're injured."

Nancy Schiliro lost sight in one eye and suffered a severe head injury after an explosion in Iraq.

"What's been the toughest part of this?" Wallace asks.

"I guess just seeing the reaction from my father," Nancy says.

"It was so sad for him," Wallace says.

"Yes, since I was the only girl," Nancy says.

It's no longer her father's military. Women were once confined to support roles, but not anymore.

And in the age of roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades, everyone is on the frontlines. Six hundred women have been injured-some returing like Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq veteran who heads the Illinois VA.

"This is the first time in our nation's history that we've had this many females, and especially combat veterans who are females, entering the VA system," Duckworth says. "I don't think, overall, any of the systems are quite ready for that."

A recent study found that outpatient care for women lagged behind men in a third of the facilities, something the VA is working hard to correct. Currently, only a third of VA hospitals have seperate clinics for women.

"I think it's been a man's world in the VA," Hayes says. "You know, that probably is the greatest challenge, that women will continue to be a minority of the veterans we see."

Diane Cochran is working on healing her wounds of war-the ones you see and the ones you don't.

"Before I went into Afghanistan, if I wanted to relax, I'd close my eyes and I'd picture myself ice skating or spinning around in circles in my backyard," she says. "And now, when I close my eyes, I'm carrying an M-16. And that's not going to go away."

But now there are new memories from a weekend with her band of sisters.

[denn034]

This war veterans observations at the VA tells me that they''re equiped to handle them. In fact, much of the staff is female! Something tells me that the fact that most doctors, nurses, etc., are activist, liberal Democrats are making much ado about a non-issue for no good reason. The overwhelming liberal presence in medicine also argues that the extremely imbalanced environment couldn''t possibly lead to objectivity or neutrality either.

[fuzzybear9]

Hello America the next day

Fuzzy are you going to tell us more about your Big Toe ?

why yes, you didn`t think I would leave you hanging?

and since politics has hit an all time low.

lets see, oh yes the Toe

well after some pursuassion I took my big toe that got caught in a chain saw, down to the Walk in ER (not the name), I just love the gastly look the receptionist gives, when you tell her you caught your Big toe in a chain saw!

anyway the Doctor was mad because I didn`t bring it in immediately, she said that she could have sewed it up, What is it with you men?
any way so a Nurse #1 with a turtle smock gives me two shots a tetnus, and sumthin, then proceeds to flush a toe that has already closed itself with no success, Fuzzy did a really thourough cleaning,

then Nurse #2 the little meany, wheels Fuzzy into the sterilization chamber gives me a lead loin cloth and blasts me with high energy photons (x-rays),
which probably killed any bacteria.

then Nurse #3 (hindu) comes in and puts a bandge on my toe,

then Doctor she comes back in and says your x-ray looks clean, but we need to see big toe in a couple of days, then she asks if I want any pain killers on my prescription and I say no, Fuzzy is impervious to pain.

so after 4 hours, 3 x-rays, and two pin pricks,
and $20 deductible

that was my exciting day at the ER. with my Big Toe

sincerely Fuzzy Bear

p.s. after seeing that gal on the stretcher (see photo above, my big toe doesn`t seem so bad)

[patriot12436]

mimmick8
I was brought up old school so that is why i believed that way. Todaty is a new era and i am proud to say my daughter served honorably and did what she had to do in combat. I have always had a high respect for women. I was glad i was not faced with having them in combat with me. It made decisions easier. I know i probably killed women and children, but they were enemy combatants.

[minnick8-2009]

I prefer women not be in combat because as a man we are taught to protect our women. If a woman was in a combat situation we would not leave her behind , even if it got us all killed. By Patriot

Precisely!!! Why should our fighting men also be put at risk because they are busy protecting female soldiers instead of fighting the enemy?

[patriot12436]

mimmick8
I prefer women not be in combat because as a man we are taught to protect our women. If a woman was in a combat situation we would not leave her behind , even if it got us all killed, if we had to leave a man well we were prepared to do that. So i think it is the physcological makeup that men are taught that is the drawback as well. I had a woman commander once. I would have followed her into hell if she led. She didn''t get where she was without being capable. I had total respect for her.

[minnick8-2009]

They are an exceptioin but they do exist

Posted by patriot12436

Yes, they are the exception!!!!!

I grew up on a farm and performed excruiating, back breaking, labor for years before I joined the military back in 1969. However, I grew up in a situation where I really didn''t have a whole lot of association with men prior to military service. I had NO IDEA of the difference in physical strength. I know that most combat does not occur in trenches, situations do occur where hand to hand combat may be necessary. Except for the rare exceptions, men will take a woman down every time. Why should we put America''s women at risk on a whole sale basis?

[patriot12436]

mimmick8
What nees to be done is stop invading countries illegally just because they think differently from us. I have seen women who can beat men senseless. They are an exceptioin but they do exist

[minnick8-2009]

There is NO wold class athletic competition where women are put in the arena with men. If women are as physically capable as men in hand to hand combat, why don''t we see women in the NFL? Maybe the NFL has more sense than the U.S. policies on women and military service. If my statements are unpopular and unpolitically correct, too bad. Sue me.

[minnick8-2009]

When I was in the Army, it was the old Army where women were confined to support roles. I saw enough combat casualties to last me past a life time, and heard enough stories from the soldiers that I was thoroughly convinced by the time I ETS''d that women do NOT belong in combat. This is one issue that thoroughly disgusts me. I can''t believe that our nation sends women into combat. If or when we find it necessary to reinstate the draft, with the "equal opportunity," laws it will mean that we will be drafting our daughters to combat. The US already looks ridiculous enough without us drafting women to send them to combat. The nonsense needs to come to a screeching halt.

[patriot12436]

faith_in_w
My daughter just returned from Iraq. She joined to get her life straightened out and she is an outstanding soldier. When she got caught in a firefight she stood her ground like every soldier. I am very proud of her even though i do not support the war in Iraq. She is also a christain.

[patriot12436]

faith_in_w
I don''t believe i ever heard that about the bible before.

[faith_in_w]

patriot12436, I am a woman and should not serve in the military. God says so.

[patriot12436]

Both of you have never served. If you had you would know serving in combat is never minimal effort.

[patriot12436]

faith_in_w
Maybe they joined because mental cases like you are not allowed to serve.

[faith_in_w]

MyOpinion1, Amen to that!

[faith_in_w]

patriot12436, no these women joined the military to get maximum compensation for minimal effort.

[patriot12436]

myopinion1
Are you andfaith_in_w one and the same person. These wom,en did not join the military to blow themselves up. The enemy did tat to them.

[patriot12436]

faith_in_w
You are a person that appears to need some serious hep with your mental condition. Or ytou could run for president.

[faith_in_w]

ARE YOU PART OF THE GOOD PEOPLE CLUB?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
DO YOU VOTE REPUBLICAN?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
ARE YOU WHITE?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
DO YOU LIVE IN THE SUBURBS?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
DO YOU HAVE A 7 DIGIT NET WORTH?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
DO YOU WORSHIP PRESIDENT BUSH AS GOD?
ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON?
IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS THEN INDEED YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON.

[terrorislami]

PATTON

General Bradley:
Have you seen the casualty lists?

Patton:
Yes, I''ve seen them.

General Bradley. . .

. . .it''s time to consider how many
casualties we''d have. . .

. . .if we were still crawling on
that ******* road.

it is time to consider how much more it will cost if we do not defeat fascist nazi terrorislam,,,