{"id":89316,"date":"2022-03-31T07:49:46","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T11:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=89316"},"modified":"2022-04-01T08:27:18","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:27:18","slug":"veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans and Caregivers recognized during women\u2019s history month"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 18, and during Women\u2019s History Month, the Veterans\u2019 Service Agency of Tioga County presented the Women Veterans and Caregiver Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon, the first ever of its kind in Tioga County, at the American Legion Post in Owego.<\/p>\n

The well-attended event offered an opportunity for area female veterans, and those that are caregivers of a veteran, to get together and offer each other support as Michael Middaugh, the Tioga County Veterans\u2019 Service Agency director, extended to them a debt of gratitude.<\/p>\n

\"Veterans<\/a>

Pictured at the March 18 recognition event, standing, from left, are Mike Middaugh from the Veterans\u2019 Service Agency, and Gail Ghinger and Terri Souder; sitting, from left, are Louise Haskell and Lin Loomis. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Middaugh stated a number of times, during the event, that women have not been given enough recognition in the past for their service, noting the rising number of female veterans that has taken place over the last decade, and the numbers of caregivers taking care of either injured or aging veterans.<\/p>\n

The event\u2019s Keynote Speaker, Cheryl Kressly, a combat veteran that served during Operation Iraqi Freedom and is employed as a Senior Program Manager at Lockheed Martin, stated to the group of veterans, caregivers and guests that attended, \u201cBy accepting the invitation today you took the first step to value yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Veterans<\/a>

Pictured is Cheryl L. Kressly, the keynote speaker at the March 18 Women Veterans and Caregiver Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon hosted by the Tioga County Veterans\u2019 Service Agency. Kressly is a combat veteran, and a senior program manager at Lockheed Martin. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Kressly talked about the struggles that many female veterans face, and how they are almost invisible. <\/span><\/p>\n

One veteran in attendance, Terri Souder, a United States Army veteran, had written a poem that was so well expressed that she was invited to read it to the guests attending the March 18 lunch and gathering.<\/p>\n

\"Veterans<\/a>

Terri Souder, veteran, is pictured with a poem she wrote and then recited at the March 18 event, \u201cA Women Veteran\u2019s Day.\u201d (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Everyone was so moved; we decided to print the poem in its entirety.<\/p>\n

A Women Veteran\u2019s Day<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Terri L. Souder, U.S. Army MP Corps veteran<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

They have a day for that, he said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s in November and it\u2019s called Veterans Day.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But he has never served.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t distinguish between male and female here, he said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you served, you\u2019re a veteran.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But he only saw women in office and medical jobs when he was in uniform.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She puts on her veteran hat to go shopping with her veteran spouse and a random stranger stops them.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Her partner is thanked for his service, while she is ignored.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But she is supposed to \u2018soldier on.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She parks in a spot designated for veterans, and with a lift on the back of the car that clearly says, \u201cVETERAN.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But she is told she shouldn\u2019t park there unless her spouse is actually in the car.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She goes to the club for a service meeting and is approached by the district president of the auxiliary, because in a Veterans\u2019 Service Organization, if you\u2019re a woman you must be a spouse.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She goes to the VA to check in for an appointment and the person at the desk never looks up as they say, \u201cHow can I help you, Sir?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re there for treatment, you must be a man.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She goes to Arlington for an event at the Military Women\u2019s Memorial and sees a sign in the bathroom stall, stating that, unlike all other memorials, it isn\u2019t part of the National Parks Service and is funded by donations.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She periodically wonders why she ever put a uniform on, to defend the Constitution of the United States.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Against all enemies, foreign and domestic.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She tries to remember why she raised her hand, swore an oath, and signed a blank check to the country. <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To include giving her life, if necessary.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Then it finally happens.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

While being interviewed for the historical archives at the MWM, the man on the other side of the camera says, \u201cYour story matters.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Terri sent me that poem,\u201d said Middaugh, \u201cit moved me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the women in attendance could relate to the poem through their own experiences with not feeling recognized for their service.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to recognize you, the caregiver, and also the veterans,\u201d said Krissly as she opened up to giver her talk at this special event.<\/p>\n

\"Veterans<\/a>

Pictured are Vietnam Veteran Dean Morgan and Veteran Bonnie Hand, who works for the Tioga County Veterans\u2019 Service Agency. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

While guests were eating, a presentation ran in the background on new things in place to help recognize women veterans, to include the #recognizeyoumovement that will bring awareness to the growing number of female veterans.<\/p>\n

As for those at the March 18 event in Owego, veterans, in cadence, shouted out an old marching song as they prepared for a group photo. A rose, one red and one white to represent love and honor, was given to each veteran and caregiver in attendance.<\/p>\n

\"Veterans<\/a>

Pictured at the March 18 recognition event, standing, from left, are Mike Middaugh from the Veterans\u2019 Service Agency, and Gail Ghinger and Terri Souder; sitting, from left, are Louise Haskell and Lin Loomis. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cCongratulations to all of you strong women,\u201d said Tioga County\u2019s Legislative Chair, Martha Sauerbrey, during the afternoon event. Information for both female veterans and for caregivers was also available at the event, and the Veterans\u2019 Service Agency personnel were available to answer questions.<\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about what the agency can do for you, call (607) 687-8228, or you can visit https:\/\/www.va.gov<\/a> to find a VA Hospital or services near you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On March 18, and during Women\u2019s History Month, the Veterans\u2019 Service Agency of Tioga County presented the Women Veterans and Caregiver Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":89317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nVeterans and Caregivers recognized during women\u2019s history month - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veterans and Caregivers recognized during women\u2019s history month - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On March 18, and during Women\u2019s History Month, the Veterans\u2019 Service Agency of Tioga County presented the Women Veterans and Caregiver Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon,...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-03-31T11:49:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-01T12:27:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/03\/Vets1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1678\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1359\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/\",\"name\":\"Veterans and Caregivers recognized during women\u2019s history month - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/03\/Vets1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-31T11:49:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-01T12:27:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/03\/31\/veterans-and-caregivers-recognized-during-womens-history-month\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/03\/Vets1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/03\/Vets1.jpg\",\"width\":1678,\"height\":1359,\"caption\":\"Female veterans, some of them combat veterans, pose for a photo at a recent Women Veterans and Caregiver Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon hosted by the Tioga County Veterans\u2019 Service Agency. 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