Durham County recognizes former active duty military service members during a celebration of service each year on or near Veterans Day.
According to Durham County Veterans Services Director Lois Harvin-Ravin, “It is of great importance that we honor the service and sacrifice our veterans have made for our nation. Veterans Day affords us the opportunity to celebrate the commitment made by brave men and women of all branches of the armed forces.”
The community is invited to join in honoring service members and their families at the November 11, 2016 event to be held in the countywide meeting room of the Durham County Human Services Building, located at 414 E. Main Street.
Though most offices operated by the County will be closed for the Veterans Day holiday, the celebration hosted by Durham County Veterans Services is still scheduled to take place. The event is free and open to the public.
According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs website, President Barak Obama “has made increasing the hiring of Veterans, and particularly women Veterans, a top priority. As a result, in fiscal year 2014, one in three new federal hires was Veteran.”
The Durham County 2016 Veterans Day celebration will include a special tribute to women who served in the armed forces.
Reverend Pamela Chandler Lee, Ph.D., a former United States Naval Officer, is the guest speaker for the event. Lieutenant Commander Lee was commissioned in 1989 as a US Navy Officer through the ROTC program at Norfolk State University. She completed two Mediterranean deployments and served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She completed her military career in 1997. Her duties took her to ports all over the world as she earned the coveted gold surface warfare qualification. The former combat solider is also a preacher, teacher, writer and scholar.
DeAnne Seekins, director of Durham Department of Veteran Affairs Healthcare System, will also be a special guest at the upcoming celebration of those who served. She is responsible for an approximate $537 million medical care budget, serving greater than 65,000 Veterans annually. Seekins’ duties place her in charge of ensuring safe, high-quality care for all Veterans served, to include capacity for 251 inpatients at the hospital and eight outpatient sites of care throughout eastern North Carolina.
The media is encouraged to attend this event of high honor.
For more information, email Durham County Veterans Services Director Lois Harvin-Ravin at lharvin-ravin@dconc.gov or call (919) 560-8387.