Female veterans have shared their stories of Remembrance and the importance of being seen and heard.
Mandy Small, a former Royal Air Force police dog handler, and Lisa Brosnan, who served in the Army with the Royal Signals, spoke through support groups run by the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) about what Remembrance means to them.
Ms Small said: "To me, Remembrance is about those who made the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving their country.
Mandy Small service (Image: Supplied)
"It is important to remember that a definition of a veteran is someone that has served just one day in HM Armed Forces.
"This can account for a large part of someone’s life and to have that ignored because they don’t fit the public perception can be extremely degrading."
Both women are part of NSFT’s Veterans Integrated Service, which supports veterans across the region through female-only groups.
Ms Brosnan said: "It is so important to recognise that veterans don’t always fit the image of elderly men from past wars.
Lisa Brosnan (Image: Supplied)
"Female veterans can face an added challenge.
"People may not believe they served because they don’t match the image of a veteran in their minds.
"I know what it feels like not to be believed or to feel that I don’t fit that image."
Clinical nurse specialist Vicki Bailey, who set up a women-only support group, said many women veterans still carry the effects of gender discrimination and other trauma from their service.
Mandy Small veteran (Image: Supplied)
Ms Bailey said: "Many women I have spoken to within the group have unfortunately been through these kind of incidents and struggle, even many years after they have left the military.
"Remembrance events can be trigger to past events, although we try and focus on the now in our sessions."
The support groups run bi-monthly across Norfolk and Suffolk.
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