Warren Heritage Center honoring African American veterans
Over the course of two days, the Warren Heritage Center is honoring African American veterans who served in the United States armed forces.
"The Flag, The Fight, The Future" event began on Monday, February 16, and will continue on Tuesday night. Each program will be at 6 p.m. at the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission, located at 253 East Market Street in Warren.
The event, according to the Warren Heritage Center website, aims to honor and celebrate "brave African American men and women of Warren" who have served.
During Monday night's Black History Month event, several female veterans were given the chance to share stories of their lives and their time in the military.
Panelists included:
- Edna Douglas
- Rondalee Fowlis Ausmer
- Monica Gattison
- Joyce Jones
- Rhonda Saunders
- Teresa Carter
- Chantell Harris
- Laura Baugh Miller
Monday's event was moderated by Helen Rucker, a board member of the Warren Heritage Center and the Councilwoman at Large of the Warren City Council.
Rucker says that events like these, when it comes to female veterans, help them share what she says are unique perspectives.
"I found that women have a unique story... Not only were there soldiers and nurses, but they were also mothers and wives and children. So, sometimes, they had to come home to take care of mom and dad. And so, they had multiple roles, and they were building a career in the military, and that's what we're going to explore tonight," said Rucker.
Some stories shared by panelists included why they chose to enlist, how they were able to juggle family life and the opportunities that serving offered to them.
Douglas shared during the panel that she was able to see other parts of the world during her service, at the encouragement to enlist from her family.
"'Edna, you need to go, you need to go - you need to experience, you need to leave Warren, see the other side of the world.' So, I listened to my brothers, of course, they're older... I am really excited. I had the opportunity to travel to Europe, which I never thought I would go, and see Italy..." said Douglas.
During Tuesday's panel, Black male veterans will be featured, including:
- Eugene Dawson
- Glenn Matlock
- Mark Hameed
- Mahr Hameed
- Henry Brown
- Ernest Brown
- Roy Yancey
- Greg Jackson
- Wilson Stoutamire
The event will be moderated by Kim Johnson and will also take place at the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission.
