She’s the Veteran hosts a Women Veterans Day event this month
The nonprofit hosts monthly activities, as well as an annual Women Veterans Day event in June to provide connection and improve mental health for servicewomen.
While women account for only 17.7 percent of US military veterans, they’re twice as likely to attempt suicide as their male counterparts and face double the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s on this alarming precipice that Brooke Jackson Kahn stands and fights. As the founder and CEO of She’s the Veteran, Kahn is aiming to improve mental wellness for military women through community building and group support. “We serve just as proudly as the men, and we matter,” emphasizes the US Army Reserve captain.
Kahn enlisted in the Army in 2009, working her way from a combat medic in Operation Iraqi Freedom to a medical officer as a physician assistant. Now a neurosurgical PA with Roper St. Francis Healthcare, she understands the urgent need for female veteran support. For her master’s research topic, Kahn wrote about PTSD in female veterans, which “is both underdiagnosed and undertreated.” But in her research, she initially could only find two useful sources specfically focused on women in combat. “The lack of studies acknowledging that women have served on the front lines was mind-boggling—a slap in the face to those of us who’ve deployed to a war zone,” she reflects. When she later moved to Charleston and discovered no real support system for servicewomen, “even in a state that’s home to more than 45,000 women vets,” she set her sights on a new mission.
US Army Reserve Captain Brooke Jackson Kahn (above right) founded She’s the Veteran in 2020 after moving to Charleston.
Launched in 2020, She’s the Veteran organizes monthly members-only programming such as golf, fishing, horseback riding, surfing, and yoga, as well as virtual meetings. The hands-on activities help participants connect with other servicewomen while also retraining their brains to think positively through new experiences, a scientific concept known as neuroplasticity. With 1,500 members nationwide (about 700 based in the Lowcountry), the group embraces women who are on active duty, in the reserves, retired, part of ROTC, and others. “No matter where you are in your journey of service, we’re here for you,” says Kahn, noting that membership is free and easy to access.
On June 7, She’s the Veteran hosts its fifth-annual Women Veterans Day event at the Harbor Entrepreneur Center. The group’s largest mental health activity of the year, the member-exclusive gala includes a presentation by the Quilts of Valor Foundation, giveaways, a keynote speaker, and more. The team will also crown the “Woman Veteran of the Year,” who is chosen for continuing to give back to the community after her service to the country. “Military women are too often dismissive of their service,” says Kahn. “This is our way of really celebrating them.” And like the monthly outings, members travel from around the country to attend. “The military takes people from place to place, making it hard to find a group of friends. But it’s important to have a place to plug in,” says Kahn, who was named an “American-Made Hero” by Evan Williams Bourbon last year. Recognizing that isolation can lead to mental health issues and that women facing PTSD tend to withdraw, She’s the Veteran strives to be respectful and hospitable. “You may not know anyone when you arrive, but you’ll leave with 15 friends,” she says.
For one of its activities, She’s the Veteran members sailed the Charleston Harbor. In 2024, April Frazier won the Woman Veteran of the Year award. This year’s Women Veterans Day celebration is on June 7.
Since She’s the Veteran began, Kahn has received requests for expansion from across the country. The nonprofit established a base in the Midlands region in 2023, and this year, the director is hoping to extend the group’s presence to San Diego and Dallas. Kahn even had a physician from Canada reach out to share that She’s the Veteran inspired her team to approach their legislators about improving mental health for Canadian female vets. For this indefatigable activist, the conversation ranks as a victory. “Women veterans are finally feeling understood and seen for the first time,” Kahn says.
