 I am a Warren Officer in the Minnesota National Guard. I'm a Navy Veteran. I am a Combat Veteran. I'm a Navy Veteran, legally blind. I am also a Master Resilience Trainer. And my civilian job, I work in IT. An active volunteer. A mom. And I'm a DAV member. And a DAV member. And a Lifetime DAV member. And I'm a Lifetime DAV member. My job in Iraq was a combat medic. I took care of the sick and the wounded that came in. Being a female, when people do find out that I'm a veteran, that I'm a combat veteran, they are totally shocked. They can't believe it. DAV is leading the way for women and veterans. They're getting the recognition out there that women are veterans. They are actually helping push women's issues at the VA hospital. We still have a long ways to go with that aspect, but it's getting there. And I'm proud DAV is doing that. It's awesome. I have been a part of Boulder Crest Retreat here in beautiful Arizona. I needed to come to Boulder Crest because my life was in a very dark place. I struggled for the last 25 years with the rocks, as they call it here, that I was carrying. Boulder Crest is a safe place. No one here will judge you. Everyone here will embrace you. They will make you feel comfortable. They will help you transform your life. This is a wonderful retreat sponsored by DAV. What I get out of being a DAV member is feeling the support of others and being able to support others. So DAV has had many events I've participated in. It's national tea tournament in Iowa where you golf and winter sports clinic for downhill skiing. There's a lot of women veterans at these events. To have organizations like the VA and DAV put on an event like this is liberating. It's interesting when I tell people that I've been shot at, you can tell that there's a disconnect. One thing I did with DAV was go to the Minnesota Lynx Open Practice, which was awesome. It gave me a very enjoyable time watching another team work well together and just to know what their history was. I think these events really help out because it brings multiple female veterans together and with that camaraderie gets to be more recognition.