Female Veterans unite for inaugural Milwaukee VA Women Veterans Retreat

“I think this is really important to have a space for us women to gather, to talk, to connect, and to tell our stories, because we all have stories that we want to tell,” said Dona Drew, the community engagement and partnership coordinator at the Milwaukee VA and a Marine Corps Veteran.

Drew helped coordinate the retreat and facilitated a panel of female Veterans to kick off the event. She shared that even though she served, she didn’t see herself as a Veteran until several years ago.

“I felt that I didn’t have a story and that I wasn’t a Veteran. I was just someone who served and helped out in the field, and there were other people more of a Veteran than myself,” Drew said. “I don’t feel that anymore. I think things like this really help other women to realize that they are Veterans.”

The retreat featured four breakout groups where Veterans had the opportunity to learn about caring for emotional health, play a variety of instruments for music therapy, try Tai Chi and chair yoga offered by Whole Health, and create vision boards with the chaplain services team.

For U.S. Army Veteran Susan Conlon, the drumming circle was her favorite part of the day. She said this was her first time attending an event like this, but she plans to attend more in the future.

“I think it’s great because as a female Veteran, it’s rare that we’re ever asked if we are Veterans or if we served,” Conlon said. “For me, if I speak with other people about Korea, the men will typically say, ‘oh, was your dad in?’ No. I was.”

Many Veterans shared similar stories throughout the day, including Drew who has a Marine Corps license plate.

“Having an event like this is so important just for us to be recognized and validated,” Drew said. "Probably the biggest word is validated – that our service counted.”

During the retreat, female Veterans had access to several resource tables tailored to their unique needs. Milwaukee VA Chaplain Annali Topf said a moment that stood out to her during the retreat was when a Veteran asked her about support groups for specific diagnoses. She was immediately able to connect the Veteran with the Milwaukee VA’s Whole Health representative for the resources she was seeking.

“That was really special to be able to be like ‘yeah, here’s the resource. Right now, in this moment, I can connect you with it,’” Topf said.

Dianne Young, a retired Marine Corps Veteran, also facilitated a resource table for Healing Warrior Hearts. She shared that every time she comes to a Veteran-focused event, she learns about more resources that are available, and encouraged Veterans to get the help they need for any ailment.

“My experience with the Madison and Milwaukee VA hospital has really been good,” she said. “Even if you try it and you just don’t feel right there for whatever reason, they can provide other resources.”

The retreat stemmed from an idea presented by Ronda Allen, the wife of the Milwaukee VA’s chief of chaplain services, to host a luncheon for the women who attended religious service on Sundays. It evolved into an event to support female Veterans and provide them a safe space to share and connect with one another. The team hopes to make this a recurring annual event.

“I just want to say thank you so much to each woman who made it a priority to come out,” Topf said. “It can be intimidating and scary to go somewhere where you might not know anybody, but because they were there, that’s what made it so special. That’s what made the day amazing.”