Keystone Today

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro May 08, 2023, visited Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG) in Lebanon County, to show the Shapiro Administration’s support for the Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) and the more than 700,000 veterans across the Commonwealth. The 17,000-acre installation is headquarters to the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and the PNG and is the busiest National Guard Training Center in the country.The DMVA serves a dual role of supporting the 18,000-member PNG – the third largest National Guard in the nation – and provides programs and services to more than 700,000 veterans – the fourth largest veteran population in the nation – and they operate under the mantra, “Together We Serve.” Currently, 844 PNG members are deployed overseas and in the United States.

“Our servicemembers and veterans have sacrificed for our Commonwealth and our country, and we owe it to them to ensure they have the resources and support they need,” said First Lady Lori Shapiro. “It was an honor to meet with the hardworking women and men of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and at Fort Indiantown Gap, and I look forward to working with them to ensure Pennsylvania’s veterans and servicemembers are well taken care of and receive the benefits they earned.”

“We are thankful to the First Lady and her staff for visiting and taking the time to learn about how the DMVA supports the PNG, Pennsylvania veterans, and our communities” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “This administration made an immediate commitment to supporting Pennsylvania’s service members, veterans, and their family members, which is demonstrated by the First Lady’s visit now.”

While at FTIG, the First Lady participated in an orientation of the training site, and toured locations such as the Unit Training Equipment Site (UTES) vehicle maintenance facility, and the Training Support Center (TSC) that provides state-of-the-art training resources to service members.

The First Lady also toured the Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy (KSCA), which provides Pennsylvania at-risk teens an opportunity to achieve the self-discipline, education, and skills necessary to succeed through an engaging, safe, and structured residential experience.

Last week, the Governor Shapiro broke ground on a $97 million renovation project for a 200-bed long-term care building for veterans in need of skilled nursing and memory care at the Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home (HVH) campus in Duncansville, Blair County. Our veterans served our country and defended our freedoms – that’s why the Shapiro Administration will continue to work to provide our veterans with the best possible care and the benefits they deserve.

Original source can be found here.