By Jennifer Williams

1. VA reports about one in five women in the military experience Military Sexual Trauma

   

   View Slideshow

   1 in 5 Women in the Military has Reported Military Sexual Trauma according to the VA VA Cares about Military Sexual Trauma

   By Jennifer Williams 01.9.12 // 09 AM

   About one in five women and one in one hundred men have reported to their Veterans Affairs health care provider that they’ve experienced military sexual trauma (MST). It is a problem that has grown more as more women have joined the military. The Department of Defense has developed strategies to curb sexual trauma, and VA hospitals across the nation have implemented programs for outreach, staff training, screening and treatment. VA has special services available ... READ MORE >

2. Final U.S. Troops Exit Iraq

   

   By Jennifer Williams 12.19.11 // 09 PM

   The last U.S. troops have left Iraq. Mr. Obama marked the end of the Iraq war earlier in the week, meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in advance of the last American troops leaving Iraq by Dec. 31. U.S. officials were unable to reach an agreement with the Iraqis on legal issues and troop immunity that would have allowed a small training and counterterrorism force to remain. A considerable diplomatic presence will ... READ MORE >

3. Have you heard of Operation G.I. Jane?

   

   By Jennifer Williams 12.14.11 // 12 PM

   Operation G.I. Jane is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting deployed, single mothers in the military.  It is the first and only charity solely dedicated to deployed single mothers and their children. They work diligently with these mothers to ensure that the family bond remains strong. The Pentagon reports that more than 155,000 women have served just in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among their ranks are more than 30,000 single ... READ MORE >

4. A Thanks to the Mothers of Freedom

   

   By Jennifer Williams 11.29.11 // 07 PM

   Today, with the completion of Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday season we wanted to share with our readers a beautiful piece written by sociologist, best-selling author, and speaker BJ Gallagher who published "A Salute to the Mothers of Freedom" in the Huffington Post.  And while it was originally published on Mothers Day, it was too good not to republish here again on the Momblog. In her article, Gallagher describes how there are ... READ MORE >

5. Do you know Operation Mend?-Video

   

   View Slideshow

   OPERATION MEND Operation Mend's first patient-Aaron Mankin

   By Jennifer Williams 11.16.11 // 12 PM

   Here at Mothers at War we wanted to inform our readers of a unique program called  "Operation Mend."  It is a partnership between Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and the V.A.-Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. It has been established to help treat U.S. military personnel severely wounded during service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The project was launched with the help of philanthropist Ronald A ... READ MORE >

6. We need to rethink the word VETERAN-Video

   

   By Jennifer Williams 11.11.11 // 01 PM

   Today, November 11th, we all celebrate Veteran's day. On this day we reflect and thank our veterans and their families for their incredible sacrifices and their invaluable contribution to our society and great nation. But also on this day most people forget that so many of our veterans are females: mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, etc. Did you know that women are the fastest growing group within the Veteran population? According the the U.S ... READ MORE >

7. Operation Proper Exit: Returning to the war zone

   

   By Jennifer Williams 11.7.11 // 01 PM

   Operation Proper Exit is a groundbreaking program that affords wounded Troops and veterans from around the U.S. to retrace the last steps they took before being injured. The program is sponsored by Troops First Foundation and The USO and its purpose is to give wounded heroes a chance at closure by taking them back to war zones that have left physical and emotional scars. Rick Kell, the head of Troops First, said in a ... READ MORE >

8. All U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011

   

   By Jennifer Williams 10.25.11 // 12 PM

   On Friday, October 21, the nation listened when President Obama said, “after nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over." The President announced his decision to withdraw all American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. In a video conference President Obama and Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed to a complete U.S. military departure.  After months of negotiations, the Presidents failed to reach agreement on the legal status ... READ MORE >

9. For some military moms, a long-distance juggle

   

   By Jennifer Williams 05.19.11 // 10 PM

   When I read the phrase: "The multi-tasking mom — our worries, our woes, our spit-up-stained business suits and overcommitted volunteering — is practically a walking cliche. But what about when Mom wears fatigues and a bad day means enemy gunfire?" I could not shake the fact that some mothers have had to entirely redefine the traditional relationship between mother and child and the way they nurture and bond with their offsprings. The extent of a mother's ... READ MORE >

10. Changes and Challenges Create Army Strong Kids

    

    By Jennifer Williams 05.19.11 // 05 PM

    There are so many challenges that military mothers and their families face all the time such as relocation moves, multiple deployments, separation from their loved ones and their familiar surroundings.  In this heartfelt piece written by military mom, Amy McLaughlin, shares how her challenges were particularly difficult after her son Devin's diagnosis with Asperger's syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. "When told his diagnosis, my ears started ringing and my world came crashing around ... READ MORE >