Latest news with #Gavern
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Honoring women veterans one story at a time
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Honoring women veterans one story at a time. A local Air Force Veteran holds an Annual Tea and Talk during Women's History Month to highlight female military achievements. 'These ladies were World War I veterans, and they were women. They were called the Hello Girls,' said Air Force Veteran Janice Gavern. Gavern is committed to women's veteran issues. 'The more I tell the message and the more I get out to my sister servicewomen, the more they are inclined to go out and do the same sorts of things,' Gavern explained. For the 17th year, Gavern held the Women Veterans and Friends Tea at the Gino J. Merli Veterans' Center in Scranton. 'She was a veteran. Her name is Iris Critchell. Iris Critchell was very unique,' Gavern said. Gavern hosts the event each year to recognize fellow women veterans' service. 'If I don't come out and do this, who is going to thank women veterans for their service?' Gavern asked. 82-year-old woman reaching new heights in PA skies Three women were recognized this year, including Helen O'Hara, given a rose plant as a memento and a salute. 'During the war, I was Korean, the Korean Conflict, yes,' O'Hara said. A Navy veteran, O'Hara says she enjoyed the tea and learning about the servicewomen who came before her. 'It's true, everything she said, 'I was shaking my head yes.' That's the way it is and that's the way it was,' O'Hara stated. Gavern also presented yellow roses to the other women in the room: Veterans' spouses. 'This is my effort to make sure that they get thanked as they get older,' said Gavern. Gavern says it's important to honor the women veterans who came before them and paved the way for the women veterans of today. Born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Gavern enlisted in the Air Force upon graduating from South Scranton Central Catholic High School. After four years spent on active duty, she joined the Air Force Reserves, serving another 22 years. She continues to serve her country as the Deputy Commander for Women Veterans' Issues at the 15th District American Legion Department of Pennsylvania. 'What we're trying to do is say that women did this. This is history. It is not something they were handed, believe me,' Gavern explained. Gavern is also the historian for Gardner Warner American Legion Post 154 in Montrose. She's also the Acting Historian for Gladys Watkins American Legion Post 550, which once existed in Scranton. Additionally, a breast cancer and brain aneurysm survivor. 'I'm not ready to quit. I'm still doing this,' Gavern added. Keeping the stories of her sister servicewomen alive, Janice is a Remarkable Woman. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scranton native to present ‘A Love Letter to My Sister Soldiers'
SCRANTON — Janice Gavern lives to tell the story of her sister soldiers and to ensure their history will be remembered. Gavern, a Scranton native and Air Force veteran, will don her uniform Sunday to present a lecture titled 'A Love Letter to My Sister Soldiers' at the Lackawanna Historical Society, sharing the history of women in the military story by story. Gavern, now of Montrose, said telling those stories has become her life's passion, partly because many have never been told before. She said that until well into the 1960s, community news about the gathering of female military veterans appeared not under 'veterans' news,' but in the social or women's sections of local newspapers. One of Gavern's favorite stories is that of World War I Army nurse Gladys Watkins, who worked at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton before joining the service. Watkins died of the Spanish flu in France, but her friends back in Scranton organized and named an American Legion post in her honor. Gavern learned of the existence of the all-female post after finding a woman's hat, which would have been worn by a deputy commander in the American Legion. She tracked down the number on the hat and uncovered the existence of the Gladys Watkins American Legion Post in Scranton. She then went into newspaper archives and discovered that the post met regularly. 'They were a paper post, so they didn't have a permanent building,' she said. 'But they would meet at different sites.' At one time, she said, the post had 117 members, veterans of World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Challenges of service Gavern enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from Scranton Central High School and spent four years on active duty before joining the Air Force Reserve, serving for another 22 years. Gavern went from airman basic to technical sergeant, then later received a commission through the Deserving Airmen Commissioning Program. She became a second lieutenant and aircraft maintenance officer and retired as a captain. Gavern, who joined the service during the Vietnam era, said that being a member of the military doesn't always come with honor and appreciation. Instead, she remembers avoiding talking about her service for fear of negative response from those who objected to the war. Now, she speaks proudly of all veterans and active military members, who have sacrificed to protect and serve the country. Making great sacrifice Gavern tells the stories of female veterans who have made great sacrifices and contributions to their country. On Sunday, she will share the story of Capt. Lacie 'Sonic' Hester, an F-15E instructor weapons systems officer and the first woman in the Air Force to receive the Silver Star — the nation's third-highest award for valor. Hester received the award for her performance during a drone flight. Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus, of the Lackawanna Historical Society, said the organization is excited to welcome Gavern back to speak at the Valentine's Day-themed event. 'She's always looking for more people to tell her their stories,' she said. 'She makes it a very engaging program and fun to listen to.' As a veteran, Gavern has a personal attachment to the women she finds because she truly views them as her 'sisters in service' and feels dedicated to their military history, Moran-Savakinus said. 'Those are the kind of stories we love,' she said. 'Anyone who calls us asking for information about women in the military, we know who to call.' 'A Love Letter to My Sister Soldiers' will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Catlin House, 232 Monroe Ave., and is free to the public.
