Every year 9/11 rolls around and I think it’s gonna be just like any other day. And every year it is not. Every year I am reminded of where I was when the towers in New York became targets and I am left with the same raw feeling I felt that day. This day changed … More A 9/11 Tribute to Our Soldiers
Dear Senator/Representative, We are asking that Congress ensure that the military give soldiers the same constitutional rights you would have in a civilian court of law. We want professional investigators, not Commanders, investigating felony crimes. We want prosecutors, not military Commanders to make the decision whether we have the evidence to go to court. We … More An Open Letter to the Senate and House of Representatives in Support of the Military Justice Improvement Act
The first time I ever heard the term military sexual trauma was when I was living with my future husband in Olympia, Washington in 2006. He was active duty Air Force stationed at McChord Air Force Base. I was a traditional National Guardsman. I had just transferred from a combat communications squadron in 2005 to a … More Paying It Forward Thanks to Army Specialist Suzanne Swift (2016)
I was a hot mess before I got my service dog. I am so thankful I followed through on getting a service dog because she has changed my life significantly. I had tried everything and found myself sinker deeper and deeper into isolation and didn’t know how to fight it. I am a veteran with … More 15 Ways My K9s for Warriors Service Dog Has Helped Me (2015)
In my research to learn more about my own health, I learned that there have been studies conducted that in fact have confirmed that women veterans are at risk of heart disease. And I know exactly why considering I am one of them. I too was red flagged by the VA for being at risk … More Women Veterans, PTSD, and Heart Disease
So I noticed now that I am trying to take good care of myself that even the smallest of things is a difficult task to manage when you have PTSD. I sit here wondering how this could have happened and why it happened to me. I wish every day that I didn’t have PTSD and … More Starting Over: The Daily Struggles of Accepting & Living with PTSD
I learned about equine therapy at a veteran retreat in Bluemont, Virginia. I immediately experienced a lot of anxiety around the large animals but as we worked more with the horses, I realized that I could work through that anxiety in many ways. As a result of the interest that had been sparked, I decided … More Equine Therapy for Veterans: A Gentle Respect
My first journey in true healing was when I got my service dog, Onyx. She broke through this warrior and opened up a new area of life: love & trust. The love and trust was reciprocal in every way. As she showed me that I could trust her to have my back, my allegiance to … More The Healing Power of Animals for Troops with PTSD
Military provides inadequate care for injuries suffered during sexual assaults Some women in the military are still receiving inadequate care for sexual assault, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published Tuesday found. The report found that “not all first responders had completed the required training,” even after a 2005 Department of Defense directive mandated “a comprehensive policy … More Military provides inadequate care for injuries suffered during sexual assaults
Helping Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma, The Boston Globe (2012) Air Force Sexual Abuse Trial Gets Underway, NBC Nightly News (2012) Preventing Rapes in the Military, Andrea Mitchell Reports, MSNBC (2012) Sexual Assault in the US Military, Minnesota Public Radio (2012) Lackland Sex Scandal Continues to Roil Air Force, Houston Chronicle, Texas (2012) Don’t Suffer … More Jennifer Norris, Veteran, Military Crime Historian & Policy Analyst, Military Justice for All (Media)
Jennifer and Lee 