Local women veterans gather for photos as part of national campaign (Post-Gazette)

When Paula Orner drives to the grocery store, people assume the Navy license plate on her car is her husband’s.  When Elaine Jergons went to the Veterans Affairs hospital, there were no gowns in her size to wear.  And when Patti Gerhauser tells people she served in the military, some ask her inappropriate questions like, “Have you been sexually assaulted?”

These three, along with dozens of other female veterans, were gathered in the Strip District Friday to have their photos taken for the Western Pennsylvania portion of the “I Am Not Invisible” campaign organized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Adagio Health.

“We want people to see what a woman veteran looks like,” said Gene Russell, the photographer for the U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs.  “She looks like your mom, your sister, the woman down the street.”

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