It has always been a struggle for women to gain access and acceptance in the military. And it still has a long way to go before it is fully integrated and accepting for women.

Right now, a group of female veterans are fighting to be included. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) motto is:

“...to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”

The group of vets want to change the motto to be more inclusive:

“...to care for those who shall have borne the battle and for their widow, and their orphan."

This is the same motto that is on all VA hospitals. Last year, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), which has 400,000 members, tried to get the VA to change the motto. And just recently, a bipartisan group of lawmakers submitted a bill to change it permanently.

They said it “fails to recognize the service and sacrifice of the thousands of women in uniform.” Krisen Rouse, a veteran, said that she’s questioned whether she’s a veteran or not every single time she walks into the VA.

Female veterans face unique challenges that the VA has not yet addressed, and change starts at the top. VA: update your motto to include women.