Photo By Sgt. Carlene Vera | Brig. Gen. Marta Carcana, Puerto Rico adjutant general, keynote speaker for "Women...... read more read more
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Puerto Rico - What is a combat veteran? A combat veteran is more than just a person who has deployed in support of a war or conflict. A combat veteran is someone who has put their life on the line and sacrificed their everyday life at home in order to fight for and protect our freedom.
As we approach Veterans Day, we remember our men and women in uniform who have made the sacrifice for a better tomorrow. From World War I to Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom, our military service members have fought hard and deserve to be recognized.
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization honored local women veterans today during a “Women Veterans/Our Stars” luncheon. Different veteran organizations were present to brief the many benefits available and answer any questions.
Idalis M. Marquez, commander of the DAV of Puerto Rico, was excited at the fact that this was the first activity of this nature that the DAV hosted.
“Since I am a women veteran, I wanted to give back to my sister women veterans, and that is why I decided to organize this is activity,” said Marquez. “I think it is important to thank our women veterans for their service, and I hope we can continue to host and organize activities like this to help them get the information about services that are available for them.”
Brig. Gen. Marta Carcana, Puerto Rico adjutant general, keynote speaker for the event, spoke of how honored she was to be among the veteran women present. Her accomplishments as a female in the military have allowed her to become the first female to reach the rank of brigadier general in Puerto Rico.
“We have to endure and fight to get to where we are today. We are equal to the men but sometimes we do have different needs and it’s nice to see women being recognized,” she said. “Everything that I have accomplished, I have accomplished for all of you and for Puerto Rico.”
“I never thought that I would get this far in my military career, I had to prove that I was capable enough for this job. I know you all know what it means to stand up and fight for a position, because sometimes, we as female Soldiers, we need to fight a little harder to prove ourselves and get to where we want,” added Carcana.
Carcana read a poem inspired by the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) after WWII titled “For You Women Veterans” as a reminder that women have been fighting for an equal place within the ranks since World War II and we should be proud of what they started. It’s because of the past that we are able to progress within the ranks now.
In society today, American citizens have come a long way in recognizing our veterans and providing the services they may need, unlike our Vietnam veterans, who were ignored and in many cases forgotten. Today, veterans are thanked for their service in many different ways and there are new ways that citizens are showing their support to our troops.
To all the veterans, past and present, we wish you a happy Veterans Day.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2015 14:14 |
| Story ID: | 181204 |
| Location: | PR |
| Web Views: | 229 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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