PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Susan Wallace, Veteran
1:31:52
·
4 min
Susan Wallace, a veteran and retired JAG officer, testifies about the difficulties and discrimination she has faced as a female veteran in New York City. She highlights issues with recognition, professional licensing, and community involvement, emphasizing the need for better understanding and support for all veterans, including reservists.
- Describes challenges in obtaining a bar license transfer and facing inappropriate questions about her military service
- Highlights the invisibility and isolation experienced by female veterans
- Addresses the issue of veteran definition, particularly for reservists, and offers to help improve legislation
Susan Wallace
1:31:52
The last this gentleman less the less The less 4 speakers at Pryor Panel and my brother here have expressed many of the things that I have been thinking and wanting to say.
1:32:05
I'm almost overwhelmed that I did not perceive this alone or that I'm not misperceiving this.
1:32:12
I have not been treated well as a veteran in New York City at all.
1:32:16
I have tried to get involved with civic organizations.
1:32:18
I have an excellent resume and background.
1:32:21
It's kind of amazing, actually.
1:32:22
I couldn't even get my bar license in New York.
1:32:25
I have an active license in another state.
1:32:28
I have been a member of the bar for 35 to 34 years.
1:32:32
I'm an employment civil rights lawyer.
1:32:34
I worked for the federal government.
1:32:35
I was a reservist for 25 years.
1:32:37
I'm an retired JAG officer.
1:32:40
I was asking the interview from my bar to get my to get my license basically transferred here.
1:32:45
Right?
1:32:47
What I did with my children when I was at drill at that time, how I dared to put my children through that?
1:32:52
How did I put my children through having to worry that mom was gonna die.
1:32:57
Unbelievable, inappropriate questions.
1:32:59
No one has ever addressed it.
1:33:01
I can't find anybody to address it.
1:33:03
I volunteered for my local Democratic club.
1:33:06
I asked to join I asked to start a military chapter, military committee.
1:33:10
I was grilled and put through.
1:33:12
They just wouldn't do it.
1:33:13
They just wouldn't do it.
1:33:14
They had to have me you know, I had to justify.
1:33:16
They wanted to know why this would be input.
1:33:18
I'm in Bay Ridge.
1:33:20
I live walking distance from Fort Hamilton.
1:33:23
I said, I think that there are a number of veterans around here.
1:33:26
There are lots of service members living here.
1:33:28
There should be there are families live here.
1:33:30
They absolutely shut me down and wouldn't do it.
1:33:33
I've tried volunteering in a couple of different organizations.
1:33:37
I'm too old.
1:33:37
I'm female.
1:33:39
Talk about invisible veterans.
1:33:40
Okay?
1:33:41
I'm an invisible veteran, and there are many of the women like me that I know all the women I serve with are isolated alone and feel completely rejected like we wasted our lives.
1:33:51
It it it is heartbreaking more than I can possibly express to in a public forum.
1:33:57
As far as one of the things that I heard today about getting veterans involved is we're still stuck on dividing between reserve and active duty.
1:34:07
This, I heard earlier, you know, we're talking about doing the catchment and trying to get people, you know, as they're coming out, dd214.
1:34:14
Reservists don't have dd214s unless they served an active duty.
1:34:19
I served 25 years.
1:34:20
I don't have a DV 214.
1:34:21
I never missed a drill.
1:34:23
I served in 2 different state guards half the time, and the other right half was in the federal reserve of the USIR.
1:34:29
And so I've been all around the reserve component.
1:34:32
Never missed a drill in 25 years.
1:34:35
And I don't have a DD 214 because I was never active duty.
1:34:41
My son who is 100% disabled almost died in basic training has a DD 214 because he went active duty for basic training more than 30 days.
1:34:51
If you don't serve more than 30 days continuously, you don't get a DD 214.
1:34:55
You get another type of document.
1:34:58
Equally valid, you are still a veteran, I can't get veteran on my license because I don't have a DD 214.
1:35:05
I've been trying I know I've done through your office and I've done through, you know, through a couple other representative's offices trying to get that corrected.
1:35:12
The definitions of veteran, the state law are incorrect.
1:35:15
They don't even comport with the federal.
1:35:16
This has evolved over years.
1:35:18
The definition of veteran in the Vietnam era was very different than it is now.
1:35:22
Okay.
1:35:22
We have the federal government has opened this up and become more inclusive because Our reserve went from basically almost no reserve to 85% roughly of the army in the last 20 years.
1:35:33
These wars were fought by reservists.
1:35:36
Reservists died.
1:35:37
Mostly reservists So, you know, this this has gotta be this should be fixed.
1:35:42
New York should not be stuck on this.
1:35:45
And I'm willing to help with this.
1:35:47
I am a lawyer.
1:35:47
I can help you with the language.
1:35:49
I, you know, I am in contact with Gary Port, who is the reserve ambassador, is interested in this as well.
1:35:55
He's served with him.
1:35:56
I'm very good friends with him.
1:35:59
So I you know, I'm willing to help with this.
Robert F. Holden
1:36:01
Yeah.
1:36:02
It's very, very important.
1:36:03
I I didn't again, I didn't even I wasn't even aware of this, but thank you so much.
1:36:07
We'll we'll talk some more after this, and we'll we'll we'll try to come up with some solutions, and I'll show I'm I'm sure we'll work with the commissioner to try to address this.
1:36:17
This is not right.
1:36:18
You're you're exactly right.
1:36:20
So thank thanks again, Susan.
1:36:22
Appreciate it so much.
Susan Wallace
1:36:24
Happy to help.
