WASHINGTON \u2014 Officials at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America are hoping that Veterans Affairs leaders will change the department\u2019s \u201csexist motto\u201d in time for this year\u2019s Veterans Day celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But so far, VA administrators have shown no interest in new wording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At issue is the nearly 60-year-old motto used on VA paraphernalia, on websites and even on the side of the department\u2019s headquarters in Washington. It states VA\u2019s responsibility \u201cto care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote comes from former President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s second inaugural address, as part of his plan for reuniting and healing the country after the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But IAVA officials say the 152-year-old remarks haven\u2019t aged well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe VA\u2019s motto is outdated,\u201d IAVA Executive Director Allison Jaslow wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Shulkin this week. \u201cBy excluding women, it effectively erases the contributions by women in the military, and communicates to women veterans that they are unwelcome outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IAVA officials have been pushing for a change since the spring, but have yet to make any progress with department leadership. Jaslow, an Iraq War veteran, said updating the language \u201cwould mark a powerful commitment from VA leadership to create a culture that acknowledges and respects the service and commitment of women veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that change seems unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to the letter, VA spokesman Curt Cashour said the department \u201chas the utmost respect for the service and sacrifice of all veterans, including women veterans. But Lincoln\u2019s words are Lincoln\u2019s words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 345,000 women service members have deployed overseas since 2001. In a recent IAVA membership survey, less than a third of the women polled said they believe the civilian public treats women veterans with respect, and more than half of women (and 40 percent of male members) supported the motto change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IAVA officials say there\u2019s precedent for changing the motto to more inclusionary words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2003, the Air Force Academy dumped its well-known \u201cBring Me Men\u201d slogan in favor of \u201cIntegrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence In All We Do.\u201d A year later, the Naval Academy revised the lyrics of its fight song to drop male-only references. Last year, the Marine Corps updated 19 military job titles to drop the term \u201cman\u201d from posts that could also be held by women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is past time that the Department of Veterans Affairs give due respect to women, as much of the military has done,\u201d the letter stated. \u201cThe VA\u2019s continued use of its sexist motto symbolizes the agency\u2019s resistance to gender equity, and perpetuates a hostile and unequal environment for women veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IAVA officials say the current department motto ignores women veterans and needs to be updated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["veterans","pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"4":{"categories":["veterans","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":""},"6":{"categories":["veterans","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"7":{"categories":["veterans","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"veterans"}}},"categories":[100,12,25,68,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3334],"class_list":["post-47751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"W7T6U53HXJFS5PRHNLKCCUQA2I","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2017\/11\/02\/va-unfazed-by-criticism-of-sexist-motto\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n