Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, the Keystone State, is in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. Delaware and Maryland are to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to the east. Pennsylvania encompasses 46,055 square miles, mostly rural, and was home to an estimated 12,604,767 people in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Harrisburg, in the central portion of the state, has the distinction of being the state capital, while the largest cities, in terms of population, are spread evenly throughout the commonwealth: Philadelphia in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, Allentown in the Lehigh Valley and Erie in the northwest.
While Pennsylvania has a state capital and a state motto, "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence," Pennsylvania is officially a Commonwealth. In Pennsylvania, all legal processes are carried out in the name of the Commonwealth. Traversing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is made easier by more than 40,000 miles of roads and highways, over 100 public airports (six are international airports), 38 public transit systems, and two major ports. The Port of Erie is the commonwealth's only Great Lakes port, and the Port of Pittsburgh is an inland port.
In Pennsylvania, the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs provides service to the Commonwealth's veterans and their families and oversees the PA National Guard. The PA National Guard, along with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, are two of the top employers in the Commonwealth. More than 19,000 Pennsylvanians belong to the PA National Guard. National Guard members serve alongside our nation's military in times of conflict, provide assistance during natural disasters and other emergencies, and support state and local law enforcement authorities.
Approximately two-thirds of Pennsylvania is protected by local police force; the remainder is protected by the Pennsylvania State Police. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency prepares for and responds to natural disasters, and the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security is charged with eliminating terrorist threats.There are currently five active military installations in Pennsylvania. There are three Army Posts: Carlisle Barracks, home of the U.S. Army War College; Letterkenny Depot; and Tobyhanna Army Depot. The Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard Training Center, headquarters for the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and Army National Guard, and a Navy Base, Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg, comprise the other two military installations. According to a May 2010 article in PA Independent News, Pennsylvania's third Veteran's Court officially opened May 2010 in Philadelphia, hearing misdemeanor cases only. Judges Patrick Dugan and Joseph Waters, both veterans, will preside over the court. Pittsburgh and Scranton have veterans' courts.
The Department of Veteran Affairs State Summary shows the number of veterans in Pennsylvania as 1,026,000 in 2008. Also in 2008, 21,241 veterans received inpatient care in VA health care facilities, 2,441,000 sought out-patient care, and 11,380 PA veterans received post-conflict care from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA has special programs for those returning from service in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF).
Not all military service-related issues end when people are discharged from active duty -- 93,939 PA veterans are receiving monthly disability compensation.
