Today we’re talking about women in the military, navigating Veteran Affairs, veteran suicide prevention, and how we can all do more to honor veterans for their service.

My guest today, Dr. Rayna Gangi, trained as a radio communication engineer and was ready to be one of only a handful of Women Marines deployed to Vietnam. Two days before her embarkment, multiple vaccines paralyzed her from the waist down, and she spent the next several months in the hospital. Rayna fought her way back to mobility and was honorably discharged in 1971.

Through her personal experience, Rayna became more aware of other veterans with disabilities when she approached the VA after her disability had returned and she was no longer able to work. Her experience with the VA was not unlike many who have reached out for help, but the most impactful awareness was for the number of veteran suicides, and the numbers were staggering.

Rayna has since began counseling veterans suffering with PTSD pro bono. She has been focused on prevention and education so that others can help veterans and so veterans can be honored as they should be for their service.

Today, Rayna joins me to talk about the difficulties she faced as a woman navigating the military after enlisting in the U.S. Marines in 1968 during the height of the Vietnam War, sharing the way that she and other women were treated in comparison to their male counterparts. Rayna also shares her struggles with dealing with the VA for disability compensation, and her mission to help prevent and put an end to veteran suicide.

“I’ve lost a few over the past 15 years,” she says. “But we lose more than 22 vets to suicide every day, and I make it my mission to make sure that number doesn’t rise, and hopefully someday goes to zero.”

“What veterans need most is to be heard, not just to be taken care of. They need to be heard. A lot of them won’t even talk because they don’t think anybody is truly listening. So, it’s hard to peel that onion and get them to a point where they can express their emotions – to express the energy that gets them through and out of and over the barriers that they have in front of them that make them think that life isn’t worth it.” – Dr. Rayna Gangi

About Rayna:

Dr. Rayna M. Gangi enlisted in the U.S. marines in 1968 during the height of the Vietnam war. Her father was a WWII Army Air Corps veteran, as were her 5 uncles, and her brother was a Marine just ending his enlistment.

Rayna trained as a radio communication engineer and was ready to be one of only a handful of Women Marines deployed to Nam. Two days before her embarkment, multiple vaccines paralyzed her from the waist down and she spent the next several months in the hospital. Her prognosis was permanent disability and her diagnosis was a “female disease.”

Rayna fought her way back to mobility and was honorably discharged in 1971. Her Earth Medicine background gave her many of the tools needed to walk and work for the next 38 years.

Rayna became more aware of other veterans with disabilities when she approached the Veteran’s Administration for a rating. Her disability had returned and she was no longer able to work. Her experience with the VA was not unlike many who have reached out for help, but the most impactful awareness was for the number of veteran suicides, and the numbers were staggering.

Rayna began counseling PTSD veterans, both male and female, and soon had dozens, then hundreds of veterans and active duty personnel seeking help. 

Her work is pro bono, and since 2007 she has listened to and heard thousands of stories. From combat trauma to sexual abuse, to drugs and limb loss, Rayna has been focused on prevention and education so that others can help veterans and so veterans can be honored as they should be for their service.

“I’ve lost a few over the past 15 years,” she says. “But we lose more than 22 vets to suicide every day, and I make it my mission to make sure that number doesn’t rise, and hopefully someday goes to zero.”

“You can do this. I’m a veteran who suffered. I was a child who suffered. I never gave up, never. And I never will. Until that veteran suicide goes down to zero, I’m still here.” – Dr. Rayna Gangi

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