Welcome to My World: A Female Veteran and Psychologist’s Continuing Service)
I just moved to Santa Fe, NM where I’ll eventually retire for good. Some people say, “I want to die slumped over my desk ‘cos I’m never leaving my job.” That’s not me. I plan on squeezing the juice out of life before I’m gone. But first I have some more work to do.
The Air Force gave me my first real chance at a job. I hate to say it, but the Air Force was my first full-time job. It was where I learned acronyms, and to be part of a TEAM. Which reminds me of a coffee mug I got as a gift at Keesler AFB. It said, “There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there is one in ‘kiss my ass.’” I guess the military also taught me to laugh in the face of hardship.
I completed my psychology residency at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio thinking I would just serve my time, get out, and start my own practice. Instead, I volunteered for the DoD Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project (PDP), because it was a perfect opportunity to go to USUHS, the military’s medical school, and it was FREE!. I was eager to prescribe medicines for my own patients instead of waiting months to get them seen by a psychiatrist.
After training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, I became one of the first prescribing psychologists in the country. I taught at several universities, wrote articles and book chapters, but more often I was just doing my job, treating soldiers, sailors, and airmen. It was during OEF, OIF so I saw up close what war, trauma, and just everyday life can do to the psyche and spirit.
But my life story is more personal.
My service stretched me so thin I had little time, and even less energy to be a mom and wife. Most of the time I was just trying to get through the day. I delivered two preemie babies during my service — both had to be air-evac’d. I remember going back to work after returning from my first-ever maternity leave and being told to get ready for deployment. My baby was still in the NICU. I was so shocked at the idea of leaving him behind that I blurted out, “I can’t do this. My baby isn’t even supposed to be born yet.” The response I got from the sergeant working at the processing line was, “This is why women shouldn’t be in the military.”
Those were some of the hardest and most vulnerable days of my life. But somehow, I got through it. Women who serve know my story in one way or another — holding steady when things feel like you’re breaking, even your marriage.
My story isn’t unique. Too often, our struggles get overlooked. Like when when we have to leave work and dash to daycare then still make dinner, read a story, give a bath, prepare our uniform for the next day, be on call and all the rest. I know that weight because I’ve carried it.
I want this blog to open a door, to a conversation and hope. I don’t want to talk just about mental disorders and the VA — though I’ll talk about those things for sure. I want to talk about YOUR stories. Why and how it’s different when a woman wears the uniform.
Here’s what you can expect from me:
Clarity. I’ll break down complicated things — like the VA evaluation system for psych conditions. After working for VA contractors like LHI and VES, I think I have a good understanding of how things work. My goal is to use plain language, without jargon.
Honesty. I won’t ignore the struggles of seeking care and benefits.
Connection. I’ll share news because we live in a changing world.
By the way, ’ve written some books and book chapters along the way. I’ve included some below
Elaine Orabona Foster’s Books and Chapter Contributions
