The oldest ranger in the U.S. returned to work at a California park this week after recovering from a home invasion and robbery last month in Richmond, reported the Bay Area's
KNTV.
Betty Reid Soskin, 94, was punched several times during the attack on June 27 and the suspect took several items, including a commemorative coin given to her by President Barack Obama at a national Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
"I've had a hard time marking time," Soskin said at a news conference Tuesday at the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. "That experience took something away from me."
The
Richmond Standard said donors have given more than $50,000 in an online effort to help Soskin replace the items she lost in the robbery, including a computer.
U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told the
San Francisco Chronicle last month that Obama would replace commemorative coin he gave to Soskin.
"She's looking forward to hosting her 2 p.m. (ranger) program today," National Park Service Superintendent Tom Leatherman told the Richmond Standard. "Betty is very happy to be back and doing the work she loves."
Soskin said Tuesday that while resting at home, she started to think about her attack and other violence around the country, said KNTV.
"I couldn't deal with the world close up," Soskin said. "So I had to move the lens out. I needed the distance, but then I began to see myself as part of the whole. The violence we are suffering individually is an expression of what we are all experiencing collectively."
Numerous people on social media welcomed Soskin's return.
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