Janice Gavern Enlisted in the United States Air Force 50 Years Ago.
She is a breast cancer and brain aneurysm survivor. After recovery, she became involved in the American Legion and the Grange, to give something back to her community. She started projects related to Women Veterans. Recently, she made a list of them, and realized that she had created a Women Veterans Program. She is currently the Deputy Commander serving on Women Veterans Issues at the 15th District, American Legion, Department of Pennsylvania. She is the Historian for Gardner Warner American Legion Post 154 in Montrose, Pennsylvania. She is also the acting Historian for Gladys Watkins American Legion Post 550 – which once existed in Scranton, PA.
“I was born and raised in Scranton in South Side. I attended Sacred Heart for kindergarten, St John the Evangelist grade school, and South Scranton Central Catholic High School. I enlisted in the Air Force the October after I graduated, fifty years ago. After four years of active duty, I enlisted in the Air Force Reserves, and retired after 22 years. Why am I doing this?,” says Gavern. “The unique concerns and issues of Pennsylvania women veterans are important. Their opinions matters. I want to help spread the word that the survey is out there.”
For more information, go to www.dmva.pa.gov and click on women veterans survey. While you are on the site you might like to sign up for their newsletter. It keeps you up to date with what is going on at the state level that could be of interest to veterans.
The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Women Veterans Committee of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans Services are the ones who jointly sponsored this survey. “By filling out the survey, Pennsylvania Women Veterans like me help show our legislators what issues, programs, and projects are important to us. You may not have the problems and issues talked about in the survey, but some of your sister soldiers do. Consider filling out the survey to tell our legislators what is important to you,” says Janice Gavern.
Janice Gavern is a proud recipient of The Women Veterans ROCK! 2018 Leaders & Legends Award.
