密歇根新闻广播 重视女性退伍老兵

 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared June 12 Women Veterans Recognition Day.

Michigan women have been stepping up to serve our country for generations, and it's time they get the respect and recognition they earned," Whitmer was quoted as saying in a press release about the declaration.

Stephanie Zarb is one of the nearly 44,000 female veterans living in Michigan. She served in the U.S. Air Force from 2006 to 2011. Zarb joined Stateside to talk about the unique challenges women from the service have when they return to civilian¹ life.

I was really surprised when I came home and learned that the veteran community, and maybe society at large, was still not aware that women serve in the military, Zarb said.

Zarb says as a woman, she experienced the same challenges common to all returning veterans. She struggled to fit in, find a job, and access veteran benefits. But Zarb says she also had to work harder to be taken seriously by service officers and others in the veteran community.

When she visits places exclusive to veterans, Zarb says other veterans often ask her if she’s there because her father served in the military. She's been invited to speak at events and had people ask if she’s there to sing the national anthem². The assumptions people make about her because of her gender³ can be demoralizing.

When you hear it day in and day out, you start to internalize it. It can really make you question why this is happening, Zarb said.

Zarb says she's excited about Gov. Whitmer's recognition of women veterans in the state. However, she would like to see the administration put more focus on veteran support. For instance, Michigan is still lacking a director for its Veteran Affairs Agency six months into the new administration. Still, Zarb believes Whitmer will do right by Michigan veterans, and she thinks Women Veterans Recognition Day is a good start.

We're hopeful that this is a step in the right direction and a signal of great things to come, Zarb said.

This post was written by Stateside digital production assistant Anna Schlutt.

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 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。