Many may not be aware that Saturday, June 12 is Women Veterans Day, the date selected to recognize the anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act.   Although not nationally recognized, the date is formally recognized by a number of states through legislation—to acknowledge and honor the work of women in the United States Armed Forces.

American Red Cross Volunteer Andrea Tatkon-Coker of Ogden, Utah is one such veteran.  She was an Army Reservist in 1975 and transferred to active duty in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps from 1976-79.  She earned the rank of Captain and spent most of her active duty in the U.S. Army at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  

Ms. Tatkon-Coker later joined the U.S. Air Force through an inter-service transfer, where she continued her military career at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.  There, she specialized in treating women with high-risk pregnancies. It was also there that her military career abruptly ended when she was medically retired-out in the line of duty.

As a disabled veteran, Ms. Tatkon-Coker furthered her education by earning a doctorate in finance, with an emphasis in health care administration and management.  She is also a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner.  Her experience and credentials in health care are hard to match.

Today, Ms. Tatkon-Coker volunteers for the Red Cross in Ogden by serving veterans in the SAF Resiliency Program.  She does what she can to help others.  She added “When one is a veteran, one never stops serving.  This is especially true for those of us in the health care field.”