The Mission Continues: Jeremy’s Drive to Serve Those Who Served
When Jeremy’s curiosity about submarines led him to join the Navy, what stood out to him was how “everything had to be perfect” on the job. “Everyone on a sub was qualified. If you [were not], you were kicked out.” The standards were clear, as was the need to always have a plan.
During his five years of service, Jeremy built a strong work ethic around back-up planning and self-driven learning. An Electronics Technician, Second Class, he learned to work under great pressure to support vital communications. He was stationed on two US coasts—Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT, and the base in Kitsap-Bremerton, WA—from 2003 to 2008, when the United States was conducting high profile military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
“Being on a submarine, we weren’t able to walk away and say it’s someone else’s problem [when something went wrong]. We had to fix it with what knowledge we had.” Jeremy says this reality helped him become more self-reliant to fix problems he noticed, adding, “It won’t hurt you to open a book and follow directions to learn something new.”
He remembers lighter moments, like when his mother mailed him a pumpkin pie that “smelled like it went bad” in transit. Many years later, while working for Veterans Home Care, he was reminded of this incident when a VetAssist client applying for Aid and Attendance spoke of mailing her husband a chocolate cake “they are pretty sure had molded” while he was in Alaska. This client had been denied Aid and Attendance four times by the VA, until Jeremy went to bat, arguing that servicemembers “don’t sit around and get a bronze star for no reason.” The client was then approved.
He says this is something he gets deeply passionate about: Veterans’ right to their entitlements and their reward for sacrifice. “Every Veteran deserves to be cared for. They are our brothers and sisters at arms. You have to have their back, knowing that another vet is going to have your back.”
Now at VHC for seven years, Jeremy is able to serve his fellow Veterans with his passion, persistence, and attention to detail. We are honored to have Jeremy on our team and celebrate his talent and dedication to our Veterans.
