HONESDALE, Pa. — Take a walk through downtown Honesdale, and you'll see support for veterans everywhere you look, from banners to statues. But there's one group of veterans who are missing — women.
That's where Kim Erickson of Cherry Ridge Township comes in. She spearheaded the idea to create a monument that honors women veterans with a connection to Wayne County.
"It's going to have all six emblems for the different branches of service, and it's going to honor all female veterans. They can be active-duty, deceased; all are welcome," said Erickson.
The monument will be placed next to the Wayne County Courthouse at the Dimmick Building to spotlight women who served our country.
"Sometimes women are forgotten that they were veterans. In the olden days, when women were in the service helping, but they weren't considered veterans. So, I thought this was a way to let people know there are women in the service too, and they are doing just as much as the men," said Erickson.
The design for the monument is still in the works. Erickson tells Newswatch 16 she has a goal to have it installed by June 12 to commemorate Women's Veterans Day.
As part of the project, Erickson is asking the community to share their military stories.
"Send me pictures or a short story. If you don't know what to put, I made up a little questionnaire, and we'll put the story together for you. We're going to put it all in a booklet, and I'm hoping to have it presented the day we unveil the monument," explained Erickson.
Donations for the monument can be made through the Wayne County Community Foundation's Honoring our Heroes Fund.
To learn more about honoring a loved one, contact Kim Erickson at kimeric1967@yahoo.com.
Military stories will be accepted through April 30, 2023.
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