Abstract:The female veteran population continues to increase in the United States. The unique needs of female veterans often go unmet. As the number of female veterans continues to grow, we, as a nation, need to prepare to meet the needs of all veterans. To identify and address the unique needs of female veterans, this qualitative, phenomenological, research study explored the experiences of female veterans from military service though their transition to civilian life, and the impact this transition had on their individual development of identity (ies) of self. This study contributes to the limited body of existing qualitative knowledge that examines the nature of the female servicewoman and their unique veteran experience. Through 14 semi-structured interviews the findings resulted in 15 themes and 7 subthemes emerged. The themes and their subthemes indicate a need for actionable change in the military services, and the post service treatment of servicewomen and female veterans. These emergent themes indicate that current practices do not produce intended results, specifically, in women feeling the necessary identity verification, identity prominence, and identity salience needed to align with the “woman veteran” identity, and “veteran” identity. The information gained from this study provides opportunities for military leadership to consider organizational improvements specifically to address the needs of veterans. Focusing on a continuous improvement model and using this research as a guide, military service organizations can develop a progressive and comprehensive plan to best support veterans, specifically female veterans, as they adjust to civilian life.