The Veterans Collaborative of Santa Clarita Valley recently held a panel discussion featuring women veterans to share their stories and experiences during and post life service at the Valencia Town Center mall.
The event, which was held Aug. 27 and featured Denita Oyeka, Gabriela Ramirez, Carolina Hernandez and Staci Garcia, aimed to give insight on the challenges women face on active duty while also opening a conversation on how civilians and other members in their community could better support them when transitioning to everyday life.
Organized by SCV Veterans Collaborative President Albert Rodriguez, a United States Marine, alongside other members of the collaborative, the goal of the discussion was to give women the respect they deserve on active duty but also recognize that they face different challenges that need more awareness, and resources available.
Rodriguez acknowledged that challenges among men and women in service are almost the same, but men are prioritized, which is why the symposium was important to break the cycle and elevate awareness.
Krishna Flores, a U.S. Marine corporal who was present watching the key speakers share their stories, said she could relate to many of the key points they spoke about.
“As a woman serving in the military, and I hope it’s different now, but like many of them were saying, you had to prove yourself. You need to show up, know everything back to front, because people are going to question your abilities,” she said. “But not everyone is like that. There are good leaders in any of the branches but sometimes they are hard to find.”
Flores reflected on her time in Iraq from 2004 to 2008, where she volunteered to serve as an information collector, a role that could only be performed by a woman due to the cultural differences.
“We do play an important part, and it’s sad to see that we, this time, our country is erasing all the contributions and kind of shifting backwards,” she added, but hopes in the future that would change. “All women that serve are extremely courageous, strong and intelligent. I appreciate the hosting agencies and donors for making space for women veterans to share their story.”
As the women touched on topics about careers after service, creating their own families and its challenges, and finding their place in the outside world, SCV Veterans Collaborative board member Dennis Sugasawarasaid a simple “Thank you for your service” isn’t enough to support women veterans.
Sugasawara said that one thing he’s observed among all military service members, men or women, is their discipline, a unique attribute that’s difficult to create, which can be used in real-world spaces such as work and other opportunities.
But in order to learn more about them, one must “engage with them, learn what they went through, because it’s important,” he said.
