June 12 is Women Veterans Recognition Day. It recognizes the day when women were allowed to start serving full-time in the military. The Erie VA held an event Saturday to make sure those veterans know about the services available to them.

Jeanette, of Erie, is 100 years old. She served in World War II. She said events like The Women Veterans Health and Wellness Expo keep women veterans together.

“We know that we’re friends and have always been friends,” she said.

“They’re not somebody’s wife, they’re not somebody’s girlfriend, they’re not somebody’s daughter. They are a veteran of our United States Military,” said Women Veterans Program Manager Nadean Sitter.

They got to learn about the services they can use like the Veterans Crisis Line and programs for LGBTQ+ veterans.

“Women deserve the opportunity to have the healthcare that they should have,”  she said.

More women are using the VA's healthcare services as they come out of the military. The women's program at the Erie VA has grown about 300% since the late 2000s.

“We’re lucky here in Erie because we have a very supportive leadership. They have allowed it to grow,” Sitter said. 

That support, like at the expo, is something veterans like Jeanette appreciate.

“Just the comradeship of everybody,” Jeanette said.

“Everybody is so nice.”