It is unfortunate that I must address several inaccuracies to a politician’s response to our press release, but facts must be corrected.

As a female solider who served in combat zones decades before the military adopted sexual harassment / assault training and prevention programs, I am very aware of military sexual assault issue and the plight of its victims. My experiences in the military have inspired me to dedicate my life to serve, represent and advocate for all 22 million veterans. Over the years, I along with other VFW members have walked many miles in the halls of Congress addressing this serious problem and we very aware of the shocking statistics. We are proud of our accomplishments in defending troops against military sexual assault and support of survivors. It has been a long-time priority goal of the VFW to eliminate sexual assaults in the military and we will continue to press Congress, the Department of Defense, along with the Veterans Administration, to implement and fund these important programs.

The flyer stated “As an Air Force lawyer” which clearly linked the related statements to candidate’s military service. We stand by our statement that all military personnel must obey all lawful orders to the best of their ability, that includes diligently defending a criminal’s abhorrent conduct. Our country demands that our military members perform to the best of their ability under extreme or difficult conditions. To accomplish the mission, they must be confident that their lawful conduct associated with their assigned duties will not be used against them years later. It is our duty as veteran advocates to call out conduct that demeans or disparages a veteran’s honorable service to their county.

I am proud to lead an organization whose state leadership team is among the most diverse in the nation. It is a team that was the first to implement a statewide sexual / workplace harassment policy that protects our members and employees along with disciplining the offenders. We are a battlefield hardened team that will continue to be on the forefront in the fight to protect and defend service members and veterans from sexual predators and political attacks related to their military service.

Barbara Kim-Hagemann, State Commander

About the VFW: The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally-chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.6 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in 6,200 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.