I must make a confession – the Cioca v. Rumsfeld case has been dismissed – and honestly, I’m ok with that.  In fact, I’m relieved.  When this lawsuit dropped in February, I was unemployed, living with a friend and navigating this experience practically on my own.  The media exposure was intense but I felt that the reasons I had for involving myself with this lawsuit were worth the potential discomfort and emotional...

I’m decidedly a dog person. I love most furry creatures but dogs are easily my favorite – say what you will, cat lovers, about what that potentially says about my personality. The debate of cats versus dogs will go on forever. I’ve learned that cats probably are more suited to city life and a lot less maintenance, but there’s something about the affection and attention of a dog that melts my heart. Many of us as veterans can attest...

  Congresswoman Speier read part of my story in a session of Congress last week.  This was her ninth speech to Congress detailing personal stories of rape, sexual assault and the failure of the Department of Defense to properly address these issues.  Congresswoman Speier has put herself in the position to represent hundreds of women and men and has vowed to continue her speeches until Congress has taken suitable steps to fix a broken...

  I think I’m stating the obvious when I say that finding a job in today’s economy is not an easy endeavor.  In January, the unemployment rate for women veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era was 13.5% compared to 8.4% for our civilian counterparts. This confuses me since supposedly veterans should be very marketable in the civilian sector. At least that’s what people kept telling me. I was unemployed for 23 months – from July...

By Rebekah Havrilla Rebekah is an Army veteran and serves as SWAN’s National Peer Support Helpline Caseworker.  She loves the ocean and finds being near the water extremely comforting.  She is also a huge lover of dogs. Last fall, I had the opportunity to attend an Outward Bound veterans trip due to the grant by the Sierra Club allowing veterans to attend OB courses at little or no cost. I chose to attend the sailing trip off the coast of...

By Rebekah Havrilla Rebekah is an Army veteran and serves as SWAN’s National Peer Support Helpline Caseworker.  She loves the ocean and finds being near the water extremely comforting.  She is also a huge lover of dogs. A couple of weeks ago, I attended a symposium hosted by the New York State Health Foundation that was focused on how communities can better mobilize to meet the needs of returning veterans.  I considered this to be a...

Every year on my birthday, I eat cupcakes and ice cream for breakfast. This tradition is unbroken solely because of my mother’s tenacity and her ability to Facebook-stalk my roommates and friends. This is my first birthday in the city and I’ve been here less than two months and quite honestly I was expecting tradition to be broken. I’m 29 today and I figure at some point this tradition will end…but not yet. Four hours after discovering...

I have lots of tattoos.  A full sleeve covers my arm and plenty more.  I got my first tattoo when I was 18 and they were still illegal in South Carolina.  I drove to Asheville, NC by myself and got a very small phoenix on my lower back.  In my mind, it was a declaration of my independence and I was proud that I didn’t need anyone to be with me and that there was no pressure involved.  I didn’t get any other tattoos until I joined the...