{"id":507109,"date":"2025-07-02T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=507109"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:19:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T15:19:18","slug":"bench-crafted-by-teenager-honors-women-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=507109","title":{"rendered":"Bench crafted by teenager honors women Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 12, 2025, the West Texas VA Health Care System<\/a> proudly unveiled a handcrafted bench donated <\/a>by the Howard County, Texas 4-H. The bench is intended to be more than a place to sit\u2014it is a tribute to the courage and service of all Veterans, especially women.<\/p>\n

June 12 marks the anniversary of the 1948 Women\u2019s Armed Services Integration Act, which allowed women to serve as permanent, regular members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The day serves to highlight the vital role women have played\u2014and continue to play\u2014in defending our nation.<\/p>\n

The commemorative bench was designed and painted by 17-year-old Claire Wegner, a member of Howard County 4-H. Adorned with service-themed motifs, the bench offers a quiet, reflective space for Veterans, staff and families at the George H. O\u2019Brien, Jr. VA Medical Center<\/a> courtyard.<\/p>\n

Giving Back<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>
Members of the West Texas VA Health Care System executive leadership team joined 4H Welding Grand Champion Claire Wegner (second from right) in the unveiling of Wegner\u2019s award-winning tribute to Women Veterans, presenting the bench art work as a donation to the WTVAHCS at a small ceremony held on Women Veteran\u2019s Day in Big Spring, TX.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis project gave me a way to say thank you to all Veterans who\u2019ve served our country,\u201d said Wegner. \u201cI hope this bench gives our Veterans a peaceful place to rest and feel appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard County 4-H, part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, has a long tradition of youth leadership and service. Through hands-on projects in agriculture, civic engagement and the arts, the organization helps young people develop a sense of community responsibility.<\/p>\n

The bench was part of a 4-H welding class initiative encouraging students to create works that reflect service and civic pride. Wegner\u2019s submission stood out for its heartfelt message and purposeful design.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are honored to accept this thoughtful gift,\u201d said Robert Hoff, associate director of West Texas VA. \u201cThis bench isn\u2019t just a piece of art\u2014it\u2019s a meaningful tribute from a young community member who deeply respects our Veterans and will stand in quiet remembrance and tribute to some of our nation\u2019s trailblazing women.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On June 12, 2025, the West Texas VA Health Care System proudly unveiled a handcrafted bench donated by the Howard County, Texas 4-H. The bench is intended to be more than a place to sit\u2014it is a tribute to the courage and service of all Veterans, especially women. June 12 marks the anniversary of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":507111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1610,5,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-507109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-4-h","category-health","category-women-veterans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=507109"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":507118,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507109\/revisions\/507118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/507111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=507109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=507109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=507109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}