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Veterans Special Emphasis Program

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As your Veterans Special Emphasis Program Manager, I will support a workplace environment that ensures civil rights and EEO free of discriminatory bias and reprisals; and where the workforce, customers, and business partners are treated fairly with dignity and respect. I encourage the employment of qualified veterans and provide support to currently employed veterans. I support Pennsylvania NRCS in its effort to promote a diverse and qualified workforce. 
My story is long & most difficult for most to understand but if you would like to know I’ll gladly share it with you if you ask me in an email or such. This experience has brought me to be an advocate for the prevention of veteran suicide and there are mountains of ways to do that, but a few are treatment, understanding, and employment. Sharing my story and experiences help me cope & in doing so I hope that it helps someone else. With every breath I’m thankful that I’m still here to do so.

Important Dates

 

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May - National Military Appreciation Month

1st - Loyalty Day: Loyalty Day kicks off our Nation’s month-long military appreciation celebration. It is a day set aside for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States, and to reflect on the proud heritage of our American freedom.
4th thru 10th - Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) - It’s celebrated the first full week in May. A time set aside to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county, and local government employees and ensure that our government is the best in the world.
8th - Victory in Europe Day AKA V-E Day or VE Day - On 1945, is the day when Germans throughout Europe unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. This day marked the end of World War II in Europe.
9th - Military Spouse Appreciation Day - Traditionally set for the Friday before Mother’s Day. A day to honor military spouses with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Recognizes the important role our military families play in keeping our Armed Forces strong and our country safe.
17th Armed Forces Day - Celebrated on the third Saturday in May every year. A single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country. This day honors everyone serving in the U.S. Military branches; Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Space Force. There is also Armed Forces Week which typically leads up to Armed Forces Day. Although it is not an official observance, many activities are planned nonetheless during the week.
26th Memorial Day - A Federal holiday observed last Monday in May. A remembrance of our veterans. Commemorates the men and women who died while in military service. All Americans are encouraged to pause, wherever they are, at 3:00 pm local time for a minute of silence.

More May Observances

Month of the Military Caregiver - Month of May it Honors more than five million caregivers in the U.S. and pays tribute to the people who care for more than two million veterans.
1st - Silver Star Service Banner Day: recognizes those who have been awarded The Silver Star Medal and remembers the sacrifices of our wounded and ill veterans.
1st - National Day of Prayer - Thursday, May 1, 2025: The day is non-sectarian/non-partisan, meaning that western religions such as Judaism, American Christianity, and other familiar faiths may be represented (by attendance) alongside Wicca, Unitarian Universalism, and non- western traditions such as Buddhism, Islam, and others. No specific belief is intended to be promoted above another.
11th - Mother’s Day: Mother’s everywhere.
13th - Children of Fallen Patriots Day: Honors and raise awareness of the sacrifices and struggles the children of fallen patriots must endure in the wake of their parents’ death.

June - PTSD Awareness Month Entire Month of June

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6th - D-Day: 1944, Allied soldiers bravely stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. Normandy beaches were chosen because of the range of air cover, and it was the shortest distance from Great Britain.
8th thru 14th - National Flag Week
12th – Women Veterans Day
14th – Army Birthday: In 1775,  It’s easy to assume that this date implies the creation of a fully realized standing army, but the truth is that when the first shots were fired in the American Revolution, the troops involved in fighting the British could be compared to a guerrilla force; colonists from a variety of militias in the area banded together to fight the “Redcoats.” The U.S. Army operates with close to half a million active-duty soldiers. The service has June - PTSD Awareness Month Entire Month of June
come a long way since it was created approximately a year prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
14th - U.S. Flag Day
15th - Father’s Day: (Third Sunday in June)
19th – Juneteenth: recognizing the end of legal slavery in the United States, which has long been celebrated less officially as Juneteenth.23rd – Coast Guard Auxiliary Birthday
27th – PTSD Awareness Day: is a condition that many veterans and non-veterans alike suffer. PTSD can occur when someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. This condition wasn’t always understood properly by the medical or military community, and Department of Defense press releases often point to earlier attempts to identify PTSD symptoms in the wake of service in World War 2, Vietnam, and other conflicts.

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July

4th – Independence Day: On July 4th, 1776 the United States laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation by adopting the Declaration of Independence. Independence Day will be officially observed on Friday, July 4, 2025, our nation’s 247th birthday.
17th thru 19th – Alive Day:  is the anniversary of the date when a veteran almost lost their life in combat. Many of these veterans have also lost their fellow service members on their Alive Days, making the day one of celebration of their own survival, but also a day to remember and honor the sacrifice of those they served with. While Alive Days are often celebrated by service members, anyone who has been in a situation where they were close to death can have an Alive Day.
25th – National Hire A Veteran Day: National Hire A Veteran Day aims to inspire employers to recruit and hire veterans by recognizing the unique skills and values that former soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen bring to the workforce.
27th – National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day: is observed each year on July 27th. It is a time to remember as many as 50,000 American troops who died in the conflict (official sources vary on the actual number), and over 100,000 wounded, and thousands of prisoners of war.
28th – National Buffalo Soldiers Day: the holiday celebrating the contributions of some of the earliest African-American troops in the United States military. These troops served on the Western frontier after the Civil War. They served in a variety of ways including security, law enforcement, and other frontier-specific activities. In 1866, Congress passed legislation known as the Army Organization Act, which formalized the creation of six all-Black U.S. Cavalry and infantry units.
29th – Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary: The United States Army Chaplain Corps is a unique part of American military tradition. Said to be among the smallest (if not THE smallest) unit in the U.S. Army, the Chaplain Corps predates Independence Day and since this unit began, chaplains have served in every American conflict.

August - Antiterrorism Awareness Month Entire Month

4th – Coast Guard Day: to recognize and honor the efforts of The United States Coast Guard. This celebration is considered an “internal” event for active and reserve Coast Guard members, plus their civilian employees and retirees and members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

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7th – Purple Heart Day: is a time for Americans to remember and honor the brave men and women who were either wounded on the battlefield or paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Purple Heart Day is also known as National Purple Heart Day, Purple Heart Recognition Day, and Purple Heart Appreciation.
10th – U.S. Department of Defense Birthday: Happy Birthday DoD since 1949.
10th – Agent Orange Awareness Day: is an annual observation designed to raise awareness of the effects of the herbicide known as Agent Orange, used in Vietnam by American forces to defoliate future and current battlegrounds with the purpose of depriving the enemy ground cover to hide in.
14th – Navajo Code Talkers Day: This holiday honors the contributions of Native Americans / First Nations people who contributed to the United States war effort during World War Two, as well as recognizing the evolution of U.S. code related to Native American languages and the participation of First Nations tribe members in U.S. military efforts from many conflicts.
16th – National Airborne Day: celebrates the accomplishments of Army parachute tradition. The Army’s Airborne Rangers and the Army Golden Knights parachute team are among the best-known American paratrooper organizations, and the accomplishments of Army paratroopers are noted across more than seven decades of service including the Iraq war in 2003.
29th – Marine Corps Reserve Birthday: The Marine Forces Reserve (also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve or the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve) was created in 1916, in conjunction with the creation of the Navy Reserve. Since then, the evolution of this force would expand from just thirty-five to today’s roughly 40,000 Marine Corps Reservists.

Check out "What's New"

VA App Store image

Here you will find access to dozens of apps, including those created specifically for Veterans and their Health Care Professionals. https://mobile.va.gov/appstore    

Apps for Veterans that display a lock icon require DS Logon Level 2 (Premium) Account credentials because they connect to the VA Electronic Health Record (EHR). Get a DS Logon Level 2 (Premium) Account.

 Some of the Most Popular Top-rated Apps

VA Mobile







 Stay Quit Coach 
3.69 out of 5-star rating
Create a tailored plan to help you quit and stay smoke-free.
  iOS  Android


VA Health






MOVE! Coach      
3.63 out of 5-star rating
Looking for weight loss support? This app is for that.
  iOS & Android


Mindfulness





Mindfulness Coach   
3.64 out of 5-star rating
Be in the moment! Learn mindfulness to reduce stress.
  iOS Android 


 

PTSD






PTSD Coach  
3.63 out of 5-star rating
Get the info, support and tools you need to manage PTSD.
  iOS & Android


Veterans Employment Resources & Assistance

Veterans Resources & Organizations

Interesting Reading & Such

Service Time Buy-Back

 

 

 

 

Lisa-Jon Lepeta

Veterans Special Emphasis Program Manager

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