"My military service…it is the core and basis and foundation of my life." (Video interview, 1:19:57)

Kimberly M. Mitchell

Kimberly Mitchell in uniform, Arlington, Virginia War: War on Terrorism, 2001-2009 Branch: Navy Unit: USS Stump (DD 978); Assault Craft Unit 4 (ACU); USS Crommelin (FFG 37); Commander Destroyer Squadron 50 (COMDESRON); White House Military Social Aide Service Location: Norfolk, Virginia; Washington, DC; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Bahrain Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Adopted as an infant from a Vietnamese orphanage in 1972 by an American airman and his wife, Kimberly Mitchell grew up in rural Wisconsin and dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps by joining the Air Force. A chance meeting with a Navy admiral inspired her to change her course and apply to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. Though she chose to defer her entrance for a year due to her father’s unexpected death, ultimately, she embarked on a 17-year career with the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. She was serving in Washington, DC, working with the State Department on Iraq sanctions and Middle East peacekeeping operations, during the September 11 terrorist attacks. She recalls in her oral history the overwhelming confusion and panic of that day: "That was my first experience of being truly scared not only for us, but for what was happening to our country. What was happening?" After working on issues of warrior and family support and transition policy, she chose to leave the military in 2012 to help found the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, and has gone on to serve in numerous leadership roles at organizations supporting veterans in transition.