[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 26, 2019)]
[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.

                          ____________________