"This can account for a large part of someone’s life and to have that ignored because they don’t fit the public perception can be extremely degrading."
Both women are part of NSFT’s Veterans Integrated Service, which supports veterans across the region through female-only groups.
Ms Brosnan said: "It is so important to recognise that veterans don’t always fit the image of elderly men from past wars.
"I know what it feels like not to be believed or to feel that I don’t fit that image."
The support groups run bi-monthly across Norfolk and Suffolk.