Seventy women veterans assembled at the sixth annual Take a Vet Fishing (TAVF) Women’s Veterans Day outing last Saturday in Branford, Connecticut. The event, held at Killam’s Point, aimed to provide a relaxing day of fishing and fellowship for women who have served in the military.

Supporting Women Veterans

Deborah Rodriguez, a peacetime vet who served four years in the Army, attended the event. She suffers from PTSD due to military sexual trauma and has found solace in TAVF events. “My therapist said I would find peace here, and I have,” she said.

The occasion marked National Women’s Veterans Recognition Day, which honors the service and contributions of the roughly 3 million women who have served in the military. The day was officially recognized by Gov. Ned Lamont in 2024 and commemorates the 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which allowed women to serve as permanent members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Event organizer Kat Swenson, an Air Force veteran, emphasized the importance of connecting women veterans with each other. “A lot of them aren’t registered with the VA system, don’t know their rights, don’t even know they’re entitled to receive medical care from the VA,” she said. “They need our support to get them the resources they need.”

A Community of Support

The event provided a platform for women veterans to share their experiences, receive support, and connect with one another. Under an awning, a group of veterans discussed health issues, navigated the system to get disability benefits, and expressed excitement about a new commemorative license plate to honor women veterans.

Another woman, an Army veteran, was introduced to TAVF by Swenson and has been attending the events ever since. “Meeting the others, making friends, you realize there are things that you go through in the military that you don’t have to explain,” she said.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.