Women in the military

An Excerpt from "One of the Guys" by Sherri Williams

Now that women are the fastest growing demographic of veterans, agencies designed to help those in the service are being challenged to meet their unique needs.

More than 212,000 women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and almost 130 have died, according to Defense Department statistics.

Women returning from war are accessing veterans’ benefits, especially health care, more than their predecessors who served in the military. Forty-four percent of eligible women from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are being served at VA hospitals, according to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Association.