Ms. Veteran

WASILLA — The daughter of a 27-year military veteran, Kathryn Taggart grew up figuring she’d probably join the service.

After Sept. 11, 2001, that settled it, and as soon as she was old enough to, Taggart went down to the Army recruiter’s office and enlisted. Women were not yet allowed in combat, and like her father, Taggart wound up specializing in Patriot missile systems operations, scanning for enemy missiles or other aircraft in the area — not a detail that would typically put a soldier at great risk for developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

But it happened, and in a way that Taggart said isn’t talked about enough.

“I was sexually assaulted,” Taggart said. “You get assaulted by a service member, you still have to see them every day. Your commander is able to decide whether there will be a prosecution… so you come back a little battered from that; it’s difficult to stand your ground. You can’t appeal to a court — it is what it is.”

At the time, Taggart was excelling in the service. She said she was named the soldier of the quarter at the company, battalion and brigade level at her post at Camp Carroll, South Korea. But after the incident, she said, things were never the same and she was soon out of the service.

Eight years later, Taggart is married with twins and working at a law office in Wasilla. But her negative experience in the Army still haunts her. Two years ago, a friend told her about the Ms. Veteran America Competition and suggested she compete.

Taggart liked the idea but soon became pregnant with twins. Now, she’s eager to take part, and will May 27 in Las Vegas. There, she’ll be among more than 400 women veterans looking to make the top 25 and be invited to the national competition in Washington D.C. in October. The crowned Ms. Veteran will spend the next year as the official advocate for her platform.

“It’s kind of a way to bring all of these women from across the U.S. together for a single problem and that problem is homeless female vets,” Taggart said. “It’s created by veteran women for veteran women. It’s a way to bring good attention to it and make it a fundraiser. And it’s a little competition amongst the ladies — we like that.”

Only tangentially similar to a beauty pageant, Ms. Veteran America contestants are judged on the categories of talent, military history, question and answer and evening wear.

“It’s about women at their core,” Taggart said. “You’ve got to know your military history and prove you’re dedicated to the cause, as opposed to just being a pretty face.”

The focus of the 2017 pageant, Taggart said, is helping homeless female veterans, seldom thought about by the public and, she says, the VA.

“As a female, you’re three times more likely as a veteran to commit suicide,” Taggart said. “We’re kind of a band of misfits trying to keep each other alive… It does seem like we’re invisible; that we don’t matter.”

To become more visible, the non-profit Final Salute was formed to help and advocate for the 55,000 homeless female vets the organization estimates. Taggart said female veterans find it especially hard to get help from the VA, in part, because of what it defines as ‘homeless.’

“They can’t hold a job, they can’t be rational and if you don’t have a roof child services will come and take your kids. So they wind up couch-surfing,” Taggart said. “The VA doesn’t recognize couch surfing as homelessness.”

Taggart believes many of these homeless vets are damaged because they’ve been sexually assaulted by fellow soldiers.

“I think a lot of it has to do with a trust issue. You put your faith in your battle buddies and they’re supposed to be there to have your back and not just there to take advantage when your back is exposed,” she said. “You’re told that sexual assault is bad and that it will be punished and that you should contact somebody if this happens. Then once you do, you lose all your support; your unit turns on you. They call you a whore, put you down and break you down. Once you feel it’s not worth it, it’s hard to keep fighting for yourself.”

Taggart, a Utah native, said moving to Alaska has helped gain some distance from her traumatic event.

“(Wasilla) is a good place to get away and reconnect with yourself and life after military,” Taggart said.

To help Taggart raise money to attend the Las Vegas competition, her employer, the Crowson Law Group, is sponsoring an Easter Eggstravaganza at the Palmer Train Depot on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The free event features face painting starting at 10, an egg hunt starting at 12:30 p.m. and free hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and drinks available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Taggart also has a CrowdRise link with donations going directly to Final Salute.