On Friday, June 3, the Texas Veterans Commission hosted the “Texas Women Veterans Roll Call: Life Beyond the Oath” at the Texas Tech University museum. The event calls on local women veterans to come together and learn about the different resources available to them and their families.

Various nonprofits and veteran outreach groups were at the event sharing with veterans the benefits they are able to receive and to even discuss employment opportunities.

“What we have today is an event that will connect women veterans to the services and benefits they’ve earned as a  result of their military service,” said Anna Parker, Manager of the Women Veterans Program with the Texas Veteran’s Commission. “Texas has the largest population of women veterans in the country, 180,000 women veterans, and that is expected to grow exponentially over the next five years.”

While that number is expected to grow, the commission says it might be even higher if more women identified themselves as veterans .

“When we talk to women veterans they don’t self often self-identify as women veterans for various reasons, some being they didn’t do combat or they didn’t deploy or they only served two years, we’ve heard it all,” said Carrie Sconza, the Texas Women Veterans Commission Outreach coordinator.

As a result, the Texas Women Veterans Commission came up with the “I’m A Vet” campaign, which encourages women veterans to embrace their time in the service and proudly self-identify as veterans.

“If you are woman who served in the military, in the reserves or in the guard, please stand up stand tall and identify as a woman veteran,” said Parker. ‘We are all sisters and we have benefits and services to help you make your life, your transition from military to civilian life, much easier for you and your family.”