HONORING BARBARA KIM-HAGEMANN AS FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE AS STATE COMMANDER IN ANY MAJOR NEW JERSEY VETERANS ORGANIZATION; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 108
(Extensions of Remarks - June 26, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E853]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING BARBARA KIM-HAGEMANN AS FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE AS STATE
COMMANDER IN ANY MAJOR NEW JERSEY VETERANS ORGANIZATION
______
HON. ANDY KIM
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Mr. KIM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Barbara Kim-Hagemann,
who recently made history by being the first woman elected to the
position of State Commander in any major New Jersey veterans
organization.
Barbara has dedicated her career to serving her country and the
veteran community in New Jersey. She served in the U.S. Army for eight
years as an illustrator deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during
Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After being discharged from the Army,
Barbara attended Georgian Court College, and later began her work
serving New Jersey's veterans. Barbara first started out with the Ocean
County Veterans Affairs in Toms River, where she worked with veterans
and their families to help them secure health care and disability
benefits.
After joining the Jackson, NJ VFW Post 4703, Barbara became the first
female Post Commander in Ocean County, and later became the first
female District Commander. She has also served on a number of VFW state
committees, including the Legislative Committee, in an effort to
advocate for veterans, military personnel and families. Barbara has
remained a leader in the veterans community in our area, coordinating
the Ocean County Veterans Thanksgiving Food Drive and Christmas Toy
Drive, working as an instructor at the Marine Corps ROTC Leadership and
Character Development Academy at Fort Dix, and serving as the Grand
Marshal for the Point Pleasant Memorial Day Parade and Toms River
Veterans Day Parade.
For her years of service to the veterans community in New Jersey,
Barbara was recognized twice by the New Jersey State Assembly, and was
inducted into the Jackson Township Hall of Fame. On June 22, 2019,
Barbara was installed as the State Commander of the New Jersey VFW,
becoming the first female to ever hold that position.
The importance of the work that Barbara has done throughout her
career to help the veterans community in New Jersey cannot be
understated. After serving in the U.S. Army, Barbara returned home and
went to work to make sure that other servicemembers returning home
received quality care and resources to live a comfortable life.
I would like to thank Barbara for the incredible work she has done
over the years, and I look forward to working with her as the first
female State Commander of a major New Jersey veterans organization.
____________________
