In recognition of Women’s History Month, the 3d MC(DS) caught up with Assistant Inspector General, Sgt. 1^st Class, Veronica Jarrett.

Before joining the military I was living upstate in the city of Rochester, New York.  My family and I come from real humble beginnings.  My mother was a hard working single woman who did her best to provide for my two younger brothers and me.  After high school I made the choice of finding a job instead of pursuing college in order to help assist with my family’s financial needs. My goal was to relieve my mother of her worries and ensure my brothers had a chance for a better future.

I realized that working dead end jobs would not get us to far so I decided to take a chance at doing something that could possibly really make a difference.  On December 23, 2003 I enlisted into the United States Army Reserve as a 42A.  It was really one of the greatest feelings I had ever experienced at the time. What I did not know is how it would have such a major impact on my life.

While at Basic Combat Training I was taught the one thing that had been missing in my life which was discipline.  Prior to leaving for basic, I met my wonderful husband, who was serving in the Marine Corps. Adding these elements to my life changed my perception of the world.  It also allowed me to set an example for my brothers emulate.  As time continued I decided I wanted to do more for myself and my family.

After a 15 month deployment and some encouragement from the personnel in my unit; In 2009 I joined the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Program.  At that time I was living in Fayetteville, NC and ironically my first AGR assignment was sending me about 20 minutes away from Rochester where my brothers still resided.  I was finally given the chance to do everything that I once hoped. I was able to help them financially and encourage/guide them to do something better in life; resulting in my youngest brother joining the Navy.

Now that my family was in a better place physically and financially it was time to focus on me and my career.  Motivated to be the best Soldier I could be, I took advantage of attending as many Army trainings as possible and eventually earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Grantham University.  I wanted to perfect my skills as a 42A as well as those skills not directly related to my MOS.  By doing so, I had the opportunity to serve in multiple challenging and diverse positions with amazing Soldiers.  All of these positions came with many rewards and have prepared me to effectively conduct my duties as the Assistant IG NCOIC for the 3d Medical Command (DS).

Inspector Generals’ support to the Commanding General by serving as an extension of his eyes, ears, voice and conscience of the Command.  It is our responsibility to ensure that Leaders and Soldiers are executing the Commanding Generals intent IAW current regulations and policies.  We also serve as impartial fact finders and provide assistance to commanders, Soldiers, family members, civilian employees and others seeking help with problems related to the U.S. Army.

As a mother of five amazing children, Kemani, Chaz, Chillize, Dwayne, King and wife to my loving husband Dwayne; the life of being a woman in the Army definitely has its challenges. When I deployed I was lucky to have my mother watching my children due to my husband also being active duty. The Army has impacted my parenting style by being able to teach my children there is more to life than what is directly in front of you. There is always a higher level to reach for while never forgetting to look back every now and then to help someone else. I believe with hard work and dedication one can overcome anything.

I am also very grateful to have had a tremendous amount of support from my mother, previous leaders, peers, subordinates and now my awesome IG teammates.