Name: Latisha Spikes

Branch: Army

Years Served: 8

Rank: Sergeant

Military Occupation: 52CY10 Refrigeration/Generator Techician/Mechanic

Hometown: Columbus, GA

Twitter Handle: @BeyondBoots

Tell us a little about you outside of the military: 

• After separating from the Army, I have been a full-time mom, student, advocate, and new business owner.
• I spend my time helping in my community and advocating for the special needs community, veterans, and women throughout the state.

Why are you joining the IAVA Cavalry? 

• I am joining the IAVA Cavalry because for me service doesn’t stop just because I’ve stopped wearing US ARMY on my chest. I believe that things for us won’t get better without us standing up and join the efforts to fight it. In that I am joining to be part of the team fighting for veterans like me, who served in the sandbox and are still not receiving the services we should. 

How did your military experience shape you to be the person you are today?

• The military showed me a new purpose and avenue for the leadership skills I had used in the corporate world. It gave me a focus on my voice and the use of my creativity within writing and sketching.
• Along with eliminating being ashamed for being a woman who enjoys taking things apart and being a scientist. My experience set me in a position where I was able fly as an expert in my field, yet have the strength to fight alone since I was the only woman in my branch in my job classification.

Which one of IAVA’s policy priorities do you believe is the most pressing? Why?

• The priority that I believe in the most is, “We need to have the backs of Women Veterans and Military families post- Dobbs v Jackson.”
• While this one is stated to be around the right of choice for fertility for women, it’s in the midst of an unethical and unnatural debate about women’s’ rights to their own bodies. I believe in this priority because women veterans have been forgotten when it comes to laws, resources, healthcare advancements or consideration of accommodations for their families. 
• This is pressing because women veterans have been subjected to many health challenges which have stemmed from the lack of understanding the differences in women and men. This is true when it comes to just nutritional needs, or even vitamins.
• Another reason I believe this is pressing is because more and more women are joining the Armed Forces to provide for their families. As these numbers continue to rise so does the need for healthcare, education, childcare, and even family support for them while serving and beyond. More than that women have been fighting along side her brothers in arms since the civil war. She is the heart, soul, birth and continued strength of our nation.

Which one of IAVA’s policy priorities do you have the strongest personal connection to? Why? 

• The priority that I believe in the most is, “We need t have the backs of Women Veterans and Military families post- Dobbs v Jackson.”
• In this standing up for women veterans’ rights to have choice over her God-given right to her body, and improvement in many other overdue, and outdated laws and/or regulations, mindsets, and misconceptions in our country. 
• As a veteran I know how it feels to be the only one in a unit having to fight against the tides of not being included in the decisions for a better mission outcome. Along with being alienated when it came to having my needs acknowledged or included in the SOP. So fighting for the rights of our women veterans, and their families is personal to me.