Military women talk about combat stress

NORFOLK, Va. - From the chaos of war to complete darkness.

That is how Genevieve Chase describes her military service after Afghanistan.

"I was in a suicide born vehicle IED accident, where a car ran into my truck and exploded," she told us.

She arguably suffered combat stress, but never engaged a weapon, so she questioned wether she deserved mental health services.

At a forum in Norfolk Monday sponsored by Senator Mark Warner , she said stigma is another reason some military women don't go after the healthcare or support they need.

Senator Warner sponsored new legislation that directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to spend the next year studying whether it is adequately addressing the issues of stress in military women.

"This is bigger than just dealing with post traumatic stress and the role of female veterans, it's the whole question of the changing nature of the military," he said.

At the forum Warner also heard how sexual assaults add insult to injury for women seeking treatment.

"Doctors may recognize and treat the symptoms, yet the women still face challenges getting benefits because of a lack of documentation," Former Army Sergeant, Kayla Williams told WAVY.com.

Vivian Greentree, with Blue Star families said single military moms encounter barriers at hospitals that have no changing tables or no children policies.

"Now you have to chose between having services for yourself or having your children taken care of and you know women as primary caregivers are going to chose their children."

Warner agreed all these issues should be addressed in the inspector general's study.

"I'd love to say it's gonna be fixed in a year from now, but I don't think it's going to be fixed in a year from now. We've got to keep the pressure on and we've got to keep the focus on and we've got to make sure that these women veterans who've served so well feel comfortable claiming their rights."

If the women at the forum have anything more to say, it will happen soon.