During a special Veterans Recognition Luncheon in Sacramento today, Pasadena resident and veteran Tracey Cooper-Harris was honored by Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge).

 “Tracey is remarkable.  Joining the Army after 9/11, she served active duty in Iraq and continues to work to help veterans in need and to fight for civil rights.  She has my respect and admiration,” commented Portantino.

 Cooper-Harris served in the U.S. Army for eight years and the South Carolina National Guard before being recalled to active duty in Iraq following 9/11.  Her Army career has taken her from Walter Reed in Virginia to Germany, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and Camp Bucca, Iraq.

 Following her separation from the Army, Sgt. Cooper-Harris moved to Pasadena where she attended Pasadena City College before earning a BS from Cal State Northridge.  She currently works at the California Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles where she continues to advocate on behalf of veterans.

Last year, she went to Washington, D.C. as a member of the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America where she advocated for veterans employment aid, VA benefits and treatment for veterans suffering from catastrophic wounds.

 Cooper-Harris has been accepted into a graduate program at Clemson University in South Carolina.  She will continue her studies into support for returning veterans.  She is married to Maggie Cooper-Harris.