Paralyzed Veterans of America Blog

 

Tonya

Posted by Mary Kate White on Tuesday November 21, 2023

It’s a camaraderie that I can’t really explain and I hadn’t really found since the Air Force until I went to the PVA Women’s Retreat, even though I had been searching and searching.Growing up in a Marine Corps family, a military career always made sense to Air Force Veteran Tonya. After college, and shortly after […]

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Maria

Posted by PVA Admin on Thursday September 21, 2023

Maria has always wanted to serve.  When she was in high school in the early 1970s, she wrote a letter to West Point to request an application. They told her they didn’t accept female applicants.   Women were also not yet allowed to participate in ROTC. Undeterred, she joined the Women’s Army Corps.  “I was […]

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Tony

Posted by PVA Admin on Wednesday January 25, 2023

U.S. Navy Veteran Tony was diagnosed with MS in 2005, the same year he was expecting twin boys. Tony had been a lieutenant when he was on his first operational deployment to Bahrain. While there, he played soccer and worked out, but noticed he was having a lot of weakness and fatigue. He thought it […]

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Ann Adair

Posted by PVA Admin on Thursday September 29, 2022

The force of nature known as Ann Adair served in the U.S. Army for fourteen years. She was a reservist in a Civil Affairs Unit that served all over the world during emergencies and war situations. While on active duty, she fell numerous times, injuring her back and knees. She now relies on a cane, […]

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Scott Gallen

Posted by PVA Admin on Thursday May 26, 2022

“I hope that other people with ALS will see – don’t give up. Don’t just sit in your room and do nothing. You can still live. Just go out there and live.” PVA is sad to announce that Scott Gallen passed away September 26, 2022. U.S. Navy Veteran Scott Gallen had been experiencing unfamiliar symptoms […]

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Michelle Melland

Posted by PVA Admin on Friday May 13, 2022

U.S. Army Veteran Michelle Melland began her career as a transportation officer after being commissioned in 1988. She spent four years on active duty, and was stationed for three of those years spent in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she worked various roles in a battalion that hauled supplies throughout Europe. Later on, she would spend one […]

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George & Jann Vasiloff

Posted by PVA on Thursday November 4, 2021

Jann Vasiloff is the widow of U.S. Marine Corps Veteran George, who passed away from ALS. Jann is the inspiration behind the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, which would make the spouses of Veterans with ALS eligible for the DIC Kicker regardless of how long the Veteran had the disease. Currently, the benefit is only […]

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Cheryl Gerdes

Posted by PVA on Tuesday September 21, 2021

With a career Army father, the United States Army was a natural choice for Cheryl Gerdes. Of her decision to join the military, Gerdes says, “I was steered, pretty much, by my dad; he had done 30 years in the Army. Three wars. He was an Army guy. But, it was also coupled with the […]

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Ted Rake

Posted by PVA on Tuesday September 21, 2021

Ted Rake’s enlistment into the United States Army was born from a strong desire to change his life and introduce a semblance of discipline and direction. Rake recalls, “I woke up one morning, and I had a massive hangover; I saw a commercial for the Army. I remember sitting there, thinking to myself, I need […]

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Laura Schwanger

Posted by PVA on Tuesday September 21, 2021

Army veteran Laura Schwanger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1982. For about two years she really didn’t know what to do with herself, and was having trouble living with her new illness. But then she fell in love with adaptive sports, particularly track and field. Suddenly, she had a reason to get out […]

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