A documentary screening at the Little Theatre in Downtown Rochester highlights the challenges female veterans face.
Women make up 14% of the military population, and that number is expected to double within the next decade. The film Service, When Women Come Marching Home raises awareness about struggles specific to military women: they're more likely to be homeless, experience sexual trauma, and struggle with post traumatic stress disorder.
The stories are told through the perspectives of several female veterans, one of which is Alicia Thompson, a program specialist at the Veterans Outreach Center. She's struggled with PTSD since she and another woman in the film experienced a particularly traumatic event during their deployment in Afghanistan.
"An improvised explosive device hit one of our vehicles, killed two of our soldiers, and severely injured her to the point where she lost both legs."
The film chronicles Thompson's and the other women's transition back to civilian life. She says she hopes the film will help both veterans and civilians cope with these issues.
"For the veterans, to understand that they're not alone and there's people that feel the same way they do that're out there. And for the civilians, to understand and maybe have a little bit more awareness of why veterans may act or react the way that they do."
Service: When Women Come Marching Home is screening at the Little Theatre on Monday, August 10th, at 6:30pm followed by a panel discussion. The screening is part of WXXI's Veterans Connections initiative, designed to held bridge military and veteran needs with community support and awareness.
