Do you hear the cracking of glass? Another milestone has been reached in Fayette County.
Patricia “Patty” Dewees was appointed by Fayette County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Beathard as the newest member of the Fayette County Veteran Service Commission Board. She was sworn in Friday, Dec. 29.
Dewees is a veteran of the Women’s Army Corp, serving from 1964 through 1966 at West Point, New York. Besides being a member of the Fayette County Veteran Honor Guard, Dewees is also a member of AmVets 3571, 40 & 8 Voyageurs Post No. 888, and American Legion Post No. 25.
Dewees said she is “proud to represent the women veterans of Fayette County on the commission board. All my decisions will be for the best of all veterans in Fayette County,” shared Dewees.
According to Judge Beathard, “One of my great pleasures as judge is that I have a say in appointing the members of the Veteran Service Board. There were three excellent candidates for the position opened by Mr. Mason’s retirement. It was a difficult decision; all were worthy. I know Patty will carry on the dedication and service to this community along with the hard work just as John Mason did.”
According to Fayette County Veteran Service Officer Amy Jackson, “It will be nice to have a woman as a board member. It may encourage more women veterans to come and talk. Patty is full of compassion. She genuinely cares about people. All of our board members work with veterans every day. The entire board is working every day to make better the lives of their fellow veterans. ”
Research shows that out of the 88 counties in Ohio, each with a three- or five-member Veteran Commission Board, there are approximately 16 female board members statewide.
When Amy Jackson was hired 10 years ago as service officer, she was only the third women to hold the position statewide and the only one who was a veteran. Jackson served in the Army and was deployed to Iraq from 2004 into 2005. Jackson was first deployed during the Iraqi Freedom conflict, which quickly became the Iraqi Enduring Freedom War.
