Linda Schwartz: A Strong Activist Within The System

BY MARSHA FOUR

Many know Linda Schwartz by name, but few really know the full extent of what she has done for veterans. She has helped to mold legislation and regulation that has affected millions.

Schwartz hails from Ohio, where she also attended nurses training. She joined the U.S. Air Force in 1967, serving until 1986 on active duty and as a Reservist. She was medically discharged as a Major after sustaining injuries in an aircraft accident while on duty as a flight nurse. At 30,000 feet, one of the hatches of a C141 blew off and she narrowly escaped being sucked out of the plane.

Schwartz’ career in the USAF was over; she was now a disabled American veteran facing lifelong physical problems. With no health insurance, she turned to the VA, whose care for women veterans was primitive compared to today.

She finished her Master’s at the Yale School of Nursing but was unable to work for nearly three years. During her first reentry into the work force as a psychiatric public health nurse, a Vietnam veteran patient told her about VVA. She began partnering with the Vet Center in Norwich and learned of the effort to place a statue in Washington, D.C., to honor the nurses who served in Vietnam. (The statue evolved to honor all women who served during the Vietnam era.)

In 1984, as president of the Connecticut Nurses Association, Schwartz’ passionate address to the National American Nurses Association Convention resulted in a resolution to support the Vietnam Women Veterans Memorial Project. It was here she met Sandie Wilson, a VVA member from Michigan, and Diane Evans, who spearheaded the memorial project. Soon she was contacted by VVA’s Martha Green, Cheryl Nikki Nicole, and Conn. State Council President Jill Mishell. She met Leslie Feldstein and Dan Carr at a Boston event, and they signed her up for VVA membership. In Boston she also heard about an upcoming congressional hearing on women veterans.

“Quaking in my boots,” she said, she traveled to D.C. in 1989 with one hundred copies of her testimony. She spoke about the inadequacy, inequity, and unjust treatment she had received in the military and the VA system. She passionately and effectively presented it to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chair, Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.), a champion of veterans.

Prior to the hearing, VVA’s Rick Weidman noticed Schwartz pacing nervously. They met; he gave her his card and some advice: “Why should anyone be afraid to speak the truth?” She also met Mary Stout, then VVA’s president. That fateful day launched Linda Schwartz on a path. She has testified before Congress more than twenty-eight times, mostly for Vietnam Veterans of America. Additionally, she has contributed language to many more testimonies on behalf of VVA and worked closely with VVA’s Government Relations Department for several decades.

She’s held many positions: National Board of Directors of the American Nurses Association and of Vietnam Veterans of America (1989-1995); Director of Legislative Affairs and Treasurer for the Vietnam Women Veterans Memorial Project (1987-1992); founding President of the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund (1990-1996); President of Project Partnership, Inc. (a 501c3 providing jobs and housing for veterans); Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (1988-2000); and advisory positions to the VA Secretary on issues of Readjustment of Combat Veterans (1990-1997), Homeless Veterans (1992-1995), Women Veterans (1995-2000, Chair), and Seriously Mentally Ill Veterans (1994-2003). Schwartz is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She also has held an appointment as a research scientist and scholar at the Yale School of Nursing (1999-2004) and as a Yale associate clinical professor (2004-present).

In 2000, during a VVA trip to Hanoi, Schwartz began a process that eventually led to a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This grant funded a joint American-Vietnam conference at Yale University, “The Long-Term Ecological and Health Consequences of the Vietnam War.” It was the first time scientists from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia met with American scientists and veterans in the United States.

Linda Schwartz’ commitment to veterans has earned her many awards, including the Legion of Honor Bronze Medallion of the Chapel of Four Chaplains, a place in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing ARCHON Award, Pro Patria Award of the Department of Defense, Veteran Small Business of the Year from the SBA, Distinguished Alumna Award of Yale School of Nursing, VVA Commendation Medal, and VVA Exceptional Leadership Award.

In May of 2003 Linda Schwartz was nominated by Gov. John Rowland and confirmed as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, the first woman and the first nurse to hold that position in its 140 years. Commissioner Schwartz is the chief adviser to the Governor on the needs of Connecticut’s 277,800 veterans. She is responsible for a veterans chronic disease hospital, a 75-bed substance abuse recovery program, a 400-bed domicile (the nation’s second largest), three veterans cemeteries, and five district offices for VSO service officers. Schwartz is currently serving under her third governor; two were Republicans, and the current one is a Democrat.

In addition, as the Commissioner she also serves as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs. She feels this position has been one of her great challenges, sensing that the last twenty years of advocacy has been an exceptional apprenticeship, affording her a wealth of experiences and learning opportunities. “VVA gave me a voice when so many women were silent,” she said. “VVA gave me the opportunity to pull together the skills and tools of my experiences and use them for the sake of veterans. My teachers were real people and real issues that mattered.

“Challenging the status quo was not easy for someone who couldn’t remember her own phone number after my flight accident, but I have always cherished the learning I gained from my involvement with Vietnam Veterans of America. Along the way, I met many strong women veterans for whom I have great respect. I thank them for the friendship they gave, knowledge they imparted, and the mentorship they offered so freely to me. I have always attempted to pass this on.

“Of VVA, I am proud of the work we did—together, of the veterans we helped—together, and the credence we gave to justice, integrity, and meaningful achievement. No other organization has the reputation that VVA has earned through our advocacy. I am an activist and an advocate who has dedicated my life to healing the wounds of war, because VVA helped to heal me.”