New McHenry County-based group supporting women veterans not ‘just another military group’

The launch of a new McHenry County-based group formed to provide support and camaraderie to female military veterans in northern Illinois definitely lived up to the hopes of its organizers, they said.

“It was our first event, dipping our toes in the waters,” said retired U.S. Air Force veteran Nicole Eisenrich of Lake in the Hills, who is one of the organizers of SheForce.

It was so comforting to be around women who just got it.”

—  Jennifer Miller of Woodstock, retired lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Army

The daylong kick-off event hosted about 20 female veterans of all ages and military backgrounds earlier this month at the Community Foundation for McHenry County in Crystal Lake, Eisenrich said.

The group brainstormed and gave out raffle prizes. Visiting Angels of Crystal Lake provided lunch.

Organizations including Veterans Path to Hope, Visiting Angels, Rosecrance and members of AllenForce, the parent organization of SheForce located in Plainfield, attended and gave presentations.

The group learned about resources available for female veterans, made new connections and discussed what future events will look like.

Jennifer Miller of Woodstock, a retired lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Army, said she attended SheForce not knowing what to expect.

With her husband, who also is a retired Army veteran, she regularly attends military-related functions, but they’re mainly ones that are male-focused.

At these other functions, she is seen as the wife of a military man and not the veteran that she is. She thought SheForce would be the same.

“My initial reaction was it is just another military organization, and I was completely [surprised] how beneficial it was to me,” Miller said.

She said she has nothing against the auxiliary groups, but there is a “huge difference” between being a military wife and a soldier.

Being with other female veterans presents “a different dynamic,” she said.

“It was so comforting to be around women who just got it,” said Miller, 54, who retired in 2022. “I didn’t realize something was missing until I went there and was like, ‘Wow, this is a good group, and this is what I need.’”

She met one woman, and they talked about how each had training at Fort McCoy, a U.S. Army Reserve installation in Wisconsin.

“The conversation with her was so easy because I never met her before, and we did not know anybody in common, but the fact she knew McCoy was just so comforting,” Miller said. “Even though our military experiences were completely different, she just ... got it. There was a sense of familiarity, belonging, understanding that I didn’t realize was lacking in other friendships.”

Quinette Hobson-Robb, 34, of Algonquin is a retired sergeant who served 15 years in the Illinois Army National Guard and was activated in 2008 and 2009 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

She said that although the groups that are predominantly men are getting better, female veterans are “pretty forgotten.”

Being with other women who are veterans at SheForce “was powerful,” she said.

“We have this unique experience, and we come back and are almost like shadow people,” Hobson-Robb said. “It was so powerful to just be in a room with other women veterans. My emotions were high.”

Hobson-Robb said that on her way to the event she had an overwhelming feeling, and she reflected on her time in the service and the experiences of other women.

At the gathering, she said, “There was no judgment, no need to show up as anyone other than yourself in your rawest form.”

The next meet-up may be yoga or some other type of relaxation class at the Randall Oaks Recreation Center at the Dundee Park District building. The group also may have an outing at a horse farm, Eisenrich said.

The group was formed by Eisenrich and Donna Rasmussen, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, because they said there is a need for female military vets to meet others like them who have had similar experiences and challenges.

The two women said they really never knew any other female veterans until they met each other in 2022 at a Northwest Herald function highlighting military veterans.

Although the traditionally all-male veterans groups and legions are supportive of women, they’re just not the same as a women-only veterans group, they said.

Those interested in joining SheForce can reach out to Eisenrich at neisenrich@nisra.org.