Historically, women have served alongside and in the United States military through combat and peacetime. Today, there are no open restrictions to women serving in the Armed Forces and over 2 million women veterans. Prior to the Women in Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, women proudly served in limited roles. But even further back than that, when women were not allowed to serve openly, women disguised themselves as men to serve alongside their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons in the Revolutionary War and onward. Inequities have always existed for women veterans- from being denied the veteran pension benefits after the Civil War to being disqualified from service and forced out if a woman became pregnant, women veterans have sought support services related to their years in the military. Today, as a recruiting issue has become a national shortage of individuals willing to serve, it is important to recognize the unique roles women have played in the military as well as in the veteran community. Today, women veterans are the fastest growing subpopulation of veterans leading advocacy days and engaging with national policy leaders to help contextualize issues such as military sexual trauma, reproductive rights, and open service for all. But negative experiences have also influenced whether or not women veterans will encourage their loved ones- especially young girls- to serve. This presentation is a look at the experiences of women veterans in research and in the real world.