PBS高端访谈:为什么许多女兵的回归家庭生活之路如此艰难?

 　　GWEN IFILL: After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, many veterans face an uphill battle finding work in civilian¹ life. There's been an increase in efforts to help ease their transition, but one segment of the veteran population is often overlooked.

　　Special correspondent Gayle Tzemach Lemmon reports.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Katrina Holley finds satisfaction in bringing order to people's lives.

　　KATRINA HOLLEY, Air Force Veteran: Ever since I was in the fourth grade, I loved cleaning the house. I can remember vacuuming before I would leave for school.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Her attention to detail is just one of the skills she honed during 11 years in the Air Force. Holley's small business in Hillsborough, North Carolina, cleaning homes calls on some of those skills, but for years she's sought a civilian career that better values her military experience, a background that often catches her clients off guard.

　　KATRINA HOLLEY: Oh, my goodness. Well, I think so often people are surprised because they don't think about female veterans. We are coming more into the light in 2014 and 2015 and after Iraq, of course. But I think that it is interesting, because it adds such diversity to your life. That experience is something that I value, value so highly.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: The transition to a civilian career may be most problematic for female veterans like Holley, who face the greatest challenge in the job market.

　　Female veteran unemployment rates now are higher than civilian women's, and a full 20 percent above their male veteran counterparts. More than 150,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet veteran services have not fully² caught up with women's needs. Even those vets³ who do seek help once they return to civilian life often find the support they need is not yet there.

　　A pilot program here in North Carolina backed by computer maker⁴ Lenovo and run by the nonprofit Dress for Success hopes to help change that. It aims to help female veterans look and feel their best in job interviews.

　　For Holley, Dress for Success is a chance to get a new uniform for a new mission.

　　KATRINA HOLLEY: Yes, I love it.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Dress for Success launched this program by organizing a roundtable to understand these former service members' needs.

　　WOMAN: The more information you share with us, the better we will be able to develop programs that fit your needs. And that's really what this conversation is all about.

　　TENITA SOLANTO, Navy Veteran: The most difficult was just trying to translate what you did in the military to the English — you would work on all this big equipment, radar⁵, satellites, and then you get out here and everyone is like, what is that? I don't know.

　　LAURA PARKINSON, Air Force Veteran: I did have one person who hired me because when she found out I made bombs, she was like, that is cool.

　　LAURA PARKINSON: And that is how I got started working as a lobbyist and doing the job I am today. But it was because this one woman thought it was neat.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Some of these veterans who have successfully made the shift to civilian life now help mentor⁶ other women. They know the road back can be rough.

　　GLENDA CLARE, Navy Veteran: They are not making enough money. They are not finding the jobs they need. Their skills are not translatable, or they don't know how to translate them. And some of them are kind of shell-shocked.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: At another gathering⁷ of female veterans near Washington, D.C., the bond of a sisterhood formed in service is just as strong. But these women have something other than years in uniform in common. All have been homeless after struggling to find work.

　　ANNA SALANIKA, Navy Veteran: That first two to three years after getting out was the worst. I was scared to tell people, yes, I just got out of the military, because I didn't know if it was — that's the reason why they weren't hiring me, because they felt like I probably had, like, PTSD or something. It was just — it was so hard.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Four years ago, Jas Boothe founded Final Salute⁸, which offers housing and services to women vets. An Army veteran, Boothe lived out of her car after being diagnosed with cancer and losing her home in Hurricane Katrina.

　　She says America is failing its female veterans.

　　JAS BOOTHE, Army veteran: I raised my right hand and I took an oath to never leave a fallen comrade. This is why I am doing this. There's no celebrity⁹ or anything involved in me doing this. But I am doing this in response to the lack of the American people being involved.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Demand for rooms at Final Salute far outstrips¹⁰ what Boothe can provide. Female veterans are at least twice as likely to be homeless as women who never wore a uniform.

　　Anna Salanika is a Navy veteran who found herself trapped in a marriage filled with violence and abuse.

　　ANNA SALANIKA: And I tried to hold a lifestyle by myself, tried to handle my apartment, tried to take care of the kids, just tried to do everything independently,

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: She lived out of her car before finding a haven¹¹ here. Salanika now works full-time¹² and takes a full college course load as she fights to get back on track.

　　ANNA SALANIKA: Life is good, but if it wasn't for Jas and Final Salute, I don't know where I would be right now.

　　WOMAN: This is the living room we spent our nights in when I moved here, because my room is just back here. She spent a lot of days sitting on this sofa watching cartoons.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Final Salute was Chiquita's only home before heading to war.

　　So you deployed¹³ to serve America in Afghanistan from a house for homeless veterans?

　　WOMAN: I did.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: So you were homeless the evening before you deployed?

　　WOMAN: Boots on the ground from here to training.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: Boothe says the solution cannot just be left to the military.

　　JAS BOOTHE: It wasn't the military's job to teach me how to be a civilian. America is supposed to welcome me with open arms and help me incorporate back into civilian society. The Army did their part. The Navy did their part. The other services did their part. It's America that is not doing their part.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: In North Carolina, that push to help women veterans succeed in the civilian world continues.

　　For Holley, who is feeling ready to tackle the challenge of growing her business, a new suit is just part of a new start.

　　KATRINA HOLLEY: And now I just feel part of something bigger, part of something important, part of something that is motivating and supporting and nurturing¹⁴. And those are important things to me.

　　GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON: For PBS NewsHour, I'm Gayle Tzemach Lemmon in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

6 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

10 outstrips   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Technology daily outstrips the ability of our institutions to cope with its fruits. 技术发展的速度超过了我们的制度所能应付其成果的程度。 来自辞典例句
• The significance of the foreign exchange market outstrips its impressive size. 外汇市场的意义超出了它给人的印象尺度。 来自互联网

11 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

12 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。