LOUISVILLE, Ky. — According to the Department of Defense, 17% percent of the country’s active-duty military are women, and 21% of the National Guard or Reserves are women.
With that in mind, a local veterans nonprofit is making sure resources and support continue to grow for the women serving our country.
Emily Hernandez joined the Army in 2010—five years before women could serve in combat roles. Now she’s spending most days at the Veteran’s Club Inc. in Louisville, hoping to help women break more barriers in the military.
The Veteran’s Club established the Women Warrior program in 2021 to give women veterans a safe place to connect and develop a support system. As the new coordinator of the nationally recognized group, Hernandez says she was waiting for a moment to continue to serve her community after active duty.
The South end Louisville native said Sept. 11, 2001, was a turning point in her growing patriotism. She was a sophomore at Kentucky Wesleyan College when she joined the Army. She would go on to be stationed at Fort Drum in New York as a Military Police officer making tours to Afghanistan.
Hernandez was the only female in her platoon until the other one returned from maternity leave.
“I didn’t have that person to reach out to ask those questions about anything female related. But back then I didn’t realize that it something was hurting me in any way, not that it was inflicting pain but it was not allowing for me to be looked at as an equal [to men],” said Hernandez.
Hernandez returned to Kentucky in 2016. She said she isolated herself from people who didn’t suffer from her PTSD. She quickly connected with the club’s founder and co-founder for support, Jeremy & Erin Harrell.
In Dec. 2022, Hernandez took on the role of the Women Warrior Program coordinator to continue to be a support system and barrier-breaker with women veterans.
“I was like ‘oh wow, I needed this!’ I needed this sense of giving back. We need somebody to be at our kids’ football games because if we’re pulled to training or you have work or you just have something going on, you want your kid to know that they’re loved and they have support,” said Hernandez.
Entering her 11th year of service, Hernandez still wears her uniform but in a new way—as an active-duty recruiter for the Kentucky National Guard, University of Louisville on-campus recruiter, Kentucky Colonel and now a wife and mom of two young boys.
“Knowing that other people wear it with pride, they’re able to go overseas and not come back. You know they were wearing this very gear. It just reinstates why you do this, why you join,” said Hernandez.
It’s her hope more women seek roles in the Army. Next month, a new program for the women warriors program will begin. Veterans and first responders can take part in the Equine Facilitated Mentorship, which will start April 8.