Cindy Wells stood tall for her portrait, holding three photos from her 22 years in the Marine Corps.
There’s one from boot camp, another from meeting a running challenge, and the last from when she was Marine of the Year in Buffalo, New York.
She was one of about 60 women veterans having their portrait taken at the White River Junction VA in Vermont on Thursday. The event was part of a national campaign, called I Am Not Invisible.
Wells says having her portrait taken makes her feel a sense of connection.
“You just feel like you’re part of the community, there’s a community now, of women veterans,” Wells said.
The goal of the campaign is to increase the visibility of women veterans, which is important to Kathi Moore, who’s 82 years old. She was an Air Force nurse for 20 years.
“It means the women veterans and the women of the military are not going to be forgotten,” she said.
According to the VA, as of 2017, there were about 8,500 women veterans in New Hampshire.
The portraits will be shared nationally, and displayed at the White River Junction VA.
