Veterans get designated parking at UPMC St. Margaret outpatient center
Combat-wounded veterans now have designated parking at the UPMC St. Margaret Harmar Outpatient Center.
Two spaces were dedicated on May 24 at the facility along Mariner Court.
“We are so excited to recognize our veterans,” said Susanna Stratton, a clinician who spearheaded the project.
She first saw similar veteran parking sings last fall in New Jersey and brought the idea home.
The project is significant to her because her husband, George, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded a Purple Heart.
A member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard 131st Transportation Company, George Stratton was injured in 2004 from shrapnel after the truck he was riding in struck an improvised explosive device, (IED).
Susanna Stratton said she was particularly eager to share the idea with UPMC St. Margaret orthopedic surgeon Carl Hasselman, a 14-year Army veteran who also served four years in the Air Force.
He appreciated the project.
“I think it’s very nice,” Hasselman said. “It’s just a small way to say thanks to our veterans.”
Signs were ordered from the Wounded Warrior Project and installed last week.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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