Local VA Medical Center hosts campaign highlighting women in the military

ALTOONA, Pa. (WJAC) — The James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center is hosting an event this Saturday featuring women who've served and broken barriers in the military.

“It's called 'I am not Invisible,' and what it is, is a photo shoot where we highlight our women veterans and begin a conversation about them,” says VA Medical Center stakeholder relations chief Shaun Shenk.

Saturday, a large section of wall in the hospital will be filled with pictures and stories, all about women and their service and sacrifices for our country.

“This is not only an opportunity to tell your story but to be proud about your service, your accomplishments and how you have contributed to the military, says Army veteran Cindy Dunkle.”

Organizers hope, through this project, many women like Dunkle will have the ability to tell their stories about their time in the military.

“I broke some of the barriers, I jumped out of airplanes in 1978. I was also in a special operations unit where I was the first woman,” says Dunkle. “But you know, that was kept very discreet and quiet.”

Dunkle says, as a woman who served, the I am not Invisible campaign isn't just about highlighting her time in the military. She says, it is also a great way to raise awareness about the services the VA offers specifically for women.

“I get all of my care here,” said Dunkle. “It’s important that they understand that those services are available for them just like they are available for men. And there are very specialized services for them as well.”

Shenk says only about 5% of the women who served in central Pennsylvania take advantage of what the VA has to offer. He hopes after hosting an event like this those numbers go up.

“If you want to come in and talk to outreach coordinators who are all women and many of them are veterans and many of them are married to veterans and you just wanted to learn about your services you need to come Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.,” says Shenk. “You can get all the information you want we can get you enrolled and we can have you talking with someone for service connections. You can get free to low cost health care.”

Organizers also want to stress, even if you don’t want your picture taken, you should still come and take advantage of the services the medical center has to offer.

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