[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 163 (Saturday, December 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2578-E2579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       16TH ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS VETERANS BRAINTRUST

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2005

  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on September 10th, 2004, 
Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) and I convened the 16th Congressional 
Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust issues forum titled: ``Honoring 
African American Women Veterans Who Served,'' because we both care a 
great deal about the well being of African America veterans. Moreover, 
for these past 12 years we have worked so very hard building the 
Veterans Braintrust, and carrying the torch for America's service men 
and women.
  Nevertheless, we would be remiss if we did not recognize the special 
service to this Nation, and to this institution of Congressman Charles 
Rangel of New York, a distinguished and decorated Korean War veteran in 
his own right, who is the father of the Congressional Black Caucus' 
Veterans Braintrust, established in 1988, and has carried the torch for 
African American veterans for over half a century. Since Congressman 
Rangel's first Braintrust, the Veterans Braintrust has emerged as an 
institution ``think tank'' and ``advisory group'' for the Congressional 
Black Caucus and for other Members of Congress on the critical issues 
of education, health care, mental health, aging, research, employment 
and training, homelessness and affordable housing, small business 
development and veterans benefits and services.
  Next, we were happy to extend a very warm welcome and deepest 
appreciation to our distinguished guests, panelist, moderator, and 
Bishop Imagine Stewart for performing our invocation. Which included 
State Senator Ed Harbison, Chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black 
Caucus special presentation to Spc. Shoshanna Johnson, who was captured 
in Iraq two years ago with other members of the 507th Maintenance 
Company. Shoshanna is the only African American women to be held 
captive in Iraq. But more importantly, Shoshanna truly exemplifies the 
best that America has to offer--her courage under the most 
extraordinary of circumstances shows us all just how important the 
service of our ordinary airmen, marines, sailors, and soldiers are to 
our Nation. Thus, all those who serve, serve equally and should be 
awarded based on their service, and not by the color of their skin, or 
gender.
  This led us to the issues we were there to discuss, the treatment of 
women in today's military, and as veterans. However, the discussion of 
the current state of affairs would be incomplete without a brief 
history, or stories of those who paved the way for the modern military 
woman. Early on, African American women played major support roles 
during the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the Civil War. For 
example: Harriet Tubman served as a Union spy, an unpaid soldier, a 
volunteer nurse, and a freedom fighter. While another runaway slave, 
Susan King Taylor, became famous for her volunteer service as a nurse 
and launderer as she traveled with her husband's unit, the 33rd United 
States Colored Troops (USCTs). She formed the Boston Branch of the 
Women's Relief Corps after the war. Her memoirs published in 1902, 
became the only written record of Black volunteer nurses in the Civil 
War. Again, during the Spanish American War black women played the role 
of nurses. Yet, during the war, over 75% of all deaths resulted from 
typhoid and yellow fever. Many black female volunteer nurses were told 
they were immune to the diseases because their skin was darker and 
thicker. Because of this, many of them exposed themselves to the 
diseases and became casualties when they returned home. And because of 
segregated living areas, the Whites never knew the high rate of 
casualties that these women suffered.

  However, during World War I for the first time in military history, 
African American females had an official organization where they found 
leadership and direction to use their abilities. The National 
Association of Colored Graduate Nurses founded in 1909 by Mary Mahoney, 
Adah Thoms and Martha Franklin. In 1917, the co-founder of the Red 
Cross urged Black nurses to enroll in the American Red Cross, although 
they were not accepted until two months before the end of the war in 
November of 1918. But it wasn't until World War II (1942) that women 
were officially allowed to serve in great numbers in the armed forces. 
The Army had the Women's Army Corps (WAC), the Navy had Women Accepted 
for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES); and the Coast Guard had the 
SPARS. With the majority of African American women serving in the Women 
Army Corps (WAC), where they remained in segregated units, as did 
African American men. Out of the highest number of women in the 
military during the period (271,000), only 4,000 were African American 
women.
  Moreover, African American women continued to serve from the Korean 
Conflict through Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm. Of the 35,000 women 
who went to Desert Storm, an estimated 40% were African Americans. And 
today, the statistics tell us that over 30% of military women are 
African American, approximately 33.6% enlisted, and 13.1% commissioned 
and warrant officers. Notably in 2002, African American women were 
over-represented in the armed services as compared with their 
proportion in the civilian population. This is simply to say that, 
African American women made up 30.8% of all military women, while 
making up only 12% of all civilian women.
  Equally important, the purpose of this forum was to discuss issues 
pertaining to women in the military and veterans, but particularly 
black women veterans. The overarching questions however were: What 
happens to these women socially, economically, and politically, when 
they return to the civilian sector as military veterans? Or what 
effects does military service have on their subsequent lives? With the 
second question being: how can we systemically help the masses of young 
women veterans in order to inspire them to reach their fullest 
potential?
  To address these questions we had two distinguished panels with us 
that day to discuss a range of issues pertaining to the African 
American woman veteran. Among the topics discussed were those of post 
traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, physical disability, and 
sexual harassment, or assault. Our first panel of presenters consisted 
of Attorney Herbert Fenner of the law firm McKenna Long and Aldridge 
who presented the case of Jemekia Barber; Muriel Gibson, Senior Staff 
Assistant to U.S. Senator Patty Murray's office discussed several 
cases. We also heard from three African American women veterans 
themselves: Kericia Smith, SSgt. Vanessa Turner, and Carolyn Williams. 
Followed by a second panel consisting of Dr. Laura Miller, Social 
Scientist with the Rand Corporation, who has researched extensively 
women in the military, including sexual harassment and assault; Dr. 
Saharra Bledsoe, Executive Director of Mozella's House for Women 
Veterans; Zerell Johnson-Welch, Director of the Southwest Veterans 
Service Center, and Ms. Deborah Scott, a disabled veteran having a lot 
of problems receiving fair and just treatment at the VA.

  While Shoshanna easily connected with the audience with both humor 
and humility, what we heard from her female counterparts was gut 
wrenching emotion, anger, and frustration, with more than a few VA 
officials expressing utter surprise at their anger. From Senator Patty 
Murray's Senior Staff Assistant Muriel Gibson, who shared strategies 
that she helped develop through her women veterans group and advocacy 
work leading the state of Washington to some improvement in their 
options for VA healthcare and timeliness; Deborah Scott, an Army 
veteran, whose physical illness was misdiagnosed by VA medical 
personnel as ``personality disorder''; Kericia Smith whose attempts to 
get adequate treatment and support for her struggle with PTSD have been 
repeatedly mishandled by VA officials; SSgt. Vanessa Turner, whose 
critical illness still has not been diagnosed by Army medical personnel 
since returning from Iraq, and who has struggled to find and maintain 
adequate affordable housing and/or timely treatment for her health 
through the VA; to Carolyn Williams speaking of her struggle for over 
30 years to have her sexual assault recognized and addressed by both 
Navy and VA officials. Although the outward appearance seemed to be 
``VA bashing,'' we all realized that their problems arose from systemic 
problems, or inadequate governmental policies and practices, and were 
compounded by human errors.
  Although issues were brought up which are undoubtedly begging for 
attention, this forum was just our beginning. Of those concerns 
addressed, however, it was abundantly clear that there were three vital 
issues: First, the inadequacy and sometimes absence of adequate 
Veterans' Administration services and programs for female military 
veterans. Second, the invisibility of their struggles which are quite 
often ignored and their frustration with the lack of methods available 
for redress. Third, the need to consider organizing some type of 
national conference where the issues facing African American women 
veterans might be highlighted, discussed, and strategies for addressing 
these challenges suggested. Such a national conference where these 
issues are addressed through panels and workshops, with the latter 
focused on sharing strategies that have proven effective and creating 
new possible roads to take for the future. Why, because we also heard 
comments such as, I wish to thank you to the experience at long last 
gave them an opportunity to find not just an ear that would hear their 
story. Or their first real opportunity and chance to speak publicly 
regarding fighting for VA benefits over many

[[Page E2579]]

years. But also left them with hope for the creation of an avenue that 
would rightfully address the life altering negative injustice that 
black women have and continue to be confronted by while in performance 
of their military duties, as well as afterward as ``veterans'' seeking 
help through the VA. For many years they did not believe that anyone 
cared, or would ever be concerned about the injustice that black women 
have endured at the hands of the U.S. military.
  Again, the generosity of Wayne Gatewood, Jr., President and CEO of 
Quality Support, Inc., and Amistad Associates paved the way for a gala 
evening of socializing, recognition and public acknowledgement for the 
following female veterans and groups from the Civil war to World War II 
to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq: Deborah Bretey, Antoniette Edwards, 
Mary Jackson Fears, State Representative Gloria Fox, Vernessa Franklin, 
Sgt. Casaundra Grant, Col. Delores Hampton, USA, Ret., Hattie Harris, 
Vera Haskins (now deceased), Lorenza Hilliard, Lt. Col. Patricia 
Jackson, USA, Ret., Sarah Jackson, Willette Jenkins, Lillie B. Johnson 
(known as Miss Lillie B, now deceased), Spc. Shoshanna Johnson, Pfc. 
Sarah L. Keys (Sarah Keys Evans), Noel Mitchell, Capt. Margaret 
Oglesby, MNG, Col. Marie Rogers, USA, Ret., Mildred Smith-Kidd, Willie 
Whiting; House of Imagene, Mozella's House, My Women Veterans Group, 
Black Women's Leadership Caucus, Center for Women Veterans (Department 
of Veterans Affairs), National Association of Black Military Women, 
Harriet Tubman Home, League of Women for Community Service, and the 
Colored Ladies Christian Relief Society of the 54th Massachusetts 
Volunteers.

  In return, they especially thanked us for giving accolades to the 
female veterans of color, and for always remembering heroine Harriet 
Tubman. Some felt humbled to receive their awards, other felt good to 
read the words of acknowledgement and appreciation in addition to 
giving them motivation to continue on in both their personal and 
professional lives. As well as for providing one of the few venues that 
allows them to smell their flowers, or roses before they die.
  In closing, I thank Sarah Ann Shaw, Drs. Brenda Moore, Laura Miller, 
Leisa Meyers, Robenia Gary, A.V. Hankins, Shari Miles and Ron Armstead 
for their continuing help in making the Veterans Braintrust an ongoing 
success. Also speaking on behalf of all my colleagues I thanked our 
African American veterans in the audience for coming and their service 
to our great nation. Needless to say, it was overwhelming to be in a 
room with so many true heroines and heroes, because it makes me very 
very proud that this is one of the best-attended issues forums during 
the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference 
(ALC).
  Lastly, Representative Sanford Bishop, Jr. and I agree Gen. George 
Washington had it right when he said, ``the morale and strength of the 
nation's military forces would be directly proportional to how well 
veterans who already served and sacrificed for the country are treated 
and appreciated.''

                          ____________________