EDITOR’S NOTE — Veteran Voices is an annual week-long series introducing WYDaily readers to some of our local veterans. Each story represents a different person in the Historic Triangle communities and shares their stories of service.
WILLIAMSBURG — Kathleen Jabs graduated in one of the first classes that included women at the United States Naval Academy. However, walking in as a freshman, she had almost no idea what she was in for.
“I wanted to travel, and I loved math and science. There was also this idea that I wanted to serve in some way. I was also very interested in leadership. It seemed like it had all the right tools, but being from Massachusetts, I had never left the area,” Jabs said.
Her father served four years in the military, but Kathleen shocked her family when she decided to attend the Naval Academy. Jabs majored in English and minored in Engineering and Russian.
“It’s not college. It’s military training, but it had such a strong academic school that you got both the credentials,” Jabs explained.
During her first summer at the Naval Academy, Jabs had to go through the initial military indoctrination known as Plebe Summer.
“I was just shocked at how physically hard it was. I thought that I was in shape, but I quickly realized that I was not. I had always done really well in school, but suddenly, all the things we had to memorize at once, it was like I was immersed in a totally different culture, all while handling military discipline,” Jabs said.
After graduation, her first duty station took her to Japan. After six years of active duty service with stints in Japan, Washington D.C., and Hawaii, Jabs transitioned to the Navy Reserve, where she commanded three units before retiring in 2017. She also held a position as a civilian in the Department of Defense as a public affairs officer for the Joint Forces Command.
From 2019-22, Jabs served as Acting Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where she worked to coordinate state and federal resources to support Virginia’s military and veteran communities, and liaison with federal defense facilities.
While in the service, Jabs met her husband, who was also serving in the Navy. Years later, their son is now a member of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Now a Special Assistant to the President for Military and Veteran Affairs at William & Mary, her new mission is serving as a connector between the William & Mary and military communities.
“I really get to work on talent pipelines for military veterans’ talent, national security issues with undergraduate students who may not be military, but we’re putting them in military commands. It’s really about connecting those opportunities so that William & Mary can continue to serve as part of the DNA,” Jabs explained.
Jabs said without hesitation that if the U.S. needed her, she would sign back up for the Navy in a heartbeat.
“I look at the experiences I had and the ability to make a difference and serve, it’s an honor. There are things along the way that I would do differently now, but I’m really proud of what I did.”