La. Women Veterans Tell Stories to Show Support
By: Jade Cunningham, KTAL
Updated: February 24, 2013
BOSSIER CITY (KTAL) -- Women veterans from across the state, came together at the 2013 Louisiana Women in Military Forum.
For the first time the national event was held in Bossier City.
More than 200 women, all retired veterans from almost all branches of the military came to Saturday's event.
Different conferences were held that included nutrition, benefits, and mental health.
While all the sessions were important, it was the act of storytelling that brought these women closer together.
Every picture has a story.
"This one here, Dustin Hoffman visited," shared Irma Darphin.
And as a World War II Veteran, Darphin isn't afraid to share hers.
"I was an army nurse in a large hospital. We had a lot of Hepititis, few battle wounds at that time though."
And while her memories take her back to England, she hopes they'll show other military women that they make a difference.
"I think that people should know more about what's going on and what we did during the war and these younger ones that came after us."
Brigadier General Joanne Sheridan, who spent six months in Baghdad, agrees.
"I'm humbled to be in the pressence of these women who joined early on and paved the way for me to get where I am today," said Sheridan. "Every new era comes with it a new eqality. It's just good to be able to talk to people and figure out how to get around some of the issues that surround that."
And while it hasn't been an easy road for these women, Sheridan says it's the words of the past that'll help support those in the future.
"As women, we in the military have expectations and experiences that are different from men. It's good to get together and understand the difficulties and the issues that women experience."
Many of the woman at the event say the best thing for a woman veteran to do is to get active in the community.
If interested, you can always contact the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center.
For the first time the national event was held in Bossier City.
More than 200 women, all retired veterans from almost all branches of the military came to Saturday's event.
Different conferences were held that included nutrition, benefits, and mental health.
While all the sessions were important, it was the act of storytelling that brought these women closer together.
Every picture has a story.
"This one here, Dustin Hoffman visited," shared Irma Darphin.
And as a World War II Veteran, Darphin isn't afraid to share hers.
"I was an army nurse in a large hospital. We had a lot of Hepititis, few battle wounds at that time though."
And while her memories take her back to England, she hopes they'll show other military women that they make a difference.
"I think that people should know more about what's going on and what we did during the war and these younger ones that came after us."
Brigadier General Joanne Sheridan, who spent six months in Baghdad, agrees.
"I'm humbled to be in the pressence of these women who joined early on and paved the way for me to get where I am today," said Sheridan. "Every new era comes with it a new eqality. It's just good to be able to talk to people and figure out how to get around some of the issues that surround that."
And while it hasn't been an easy road for these women, Sheridan says it's the words of the past that'll help support those in the future.
"As women, we in the military have expectations and experiences that are different from men. It's good to get together and understand the difficulties and the issues that women experience."
Many of the woman at the event say the best thing for a woman veteran to do is to get active in the community.
If interested, you can always contact the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center.
