Navy mom, inspired by daughter’s service, takes on Women Veterans Program at Roseburg VA

Jessica Burnett, the interim Women Veterans Program Manager with the Roseburg VA Health Care System, is working to help women Veterans access services unique to females. Women Veterans make up 8 percent of the Oregon Veteran population. "I am a true Oregonian. After visiting many places, I knew Oregon is where my heart is," said Burnett, whose daughter serves in the Navy aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) in Norfolk, Virginia. "And she came home one day and said, ‘Hey Mom, so, I’ve decided to take a different path in life, and I signed up for the Navy.’ I didn’t see that coming, she hadn’t talked about it before. She said, ‘This is something I felt called to do and this is what I’m going to do,’ so my role at that point was to be a support person. And so, I felt, Well, if my daughter is feeling called to do this, I’m going to see what I can do to support Veterans and our community as a whole, and I came over to the VA.” (Official VA Photo by T. T. Parish/Released)