VA Nurse Practitioner serves other Veterans

TaTonja Jones, a nurse practitioner at the G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, is a Veteran whose story is a testament to the power of determination.

A path of service and leadership

Growing up in Mississippi, Jones was eager to see more of the world and do something different. After nursing school, she joined the Navy to travel and do what she loved: caring for people. “I joined the Navy as a nurse because I wanted to see what was out there,” she shared.

At 21, she found herself at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia, thrown into a world that demanded quick thinking and confident leadership. “The military was sink or swim,” she said. “From the moment you walked in, you were expected to lead.”

Jones took that challenge as an opportunity to grow. She built bonds with people from different backgrounds, learned how to step up in tough moments and discovered strength she didn’t know she had.

Jones’s commander in the Navy encouraged her to go back to school. That push set her on a path of continuous learning. “They told me, ‘It is free, you are going,’” she said, laughing, remembering how she balanced full-time work with full-time classes. “That drive to keep learning and growing has stayed with me ever since.”

After five years on active duty, Jones transitioned to the Navy Reserve, then to the Mississippi Army National Guard, and later the Army Reserve, always as a nurse practitioner. “I wanted to keep helping people, and the military gave me so many ways to do that,” she said. This summer, she will officially retire from military service.

A personal connection to healing

Jones’s journey in health care took an unexpected turn after her son was born. She developed severe joint pain and swelling and was misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. “I could not walk up the stairs, I could not open a door,” she said. “It was a terrifying experience.” Though she was later diagnosed with a temporary condition called reactive arthritis, that scare changed her perspective. 

When a job in rheumatology—treatment of diseases that affect the joints, muscles, and connective tissues—opened up at VA, Jones saw it as more than a new opportunity. “It felt like everything was pointing me in that direction,” she said. “I had gone through something similar myself, and I knew I could bring that understanding to the Veterans I cared for.”

Working at VA gives Jones a way to combine her passion for service with her firsthand experience as a Veteran. “This place isn’t just a job for me, it’s a mission,” she said. “I see the faces of people who’ve worn the same uniform, who’ve faced the same challenges, and I know I’m right where I’m meant to be.”

Today, Jones brings not just medical knowledge, but compassion and empathy to every Veteran she sees. “When my patients talk about their pain and frustration, I can say, ‘I get it. I’ve felt that too,’” she added. “It’s an instant connection that helps them feel seen and understood.”

A legacy of resilience

Jones is proud of the path she has taken, especially as a woman in the military. “Traditionally, the military was seen as all male. But now, women are everywhere in every role, every branch. We’re shaping the future. We belong at the table, and we’re helping to make decisions that matter.”

To her fellow women Veterans, Jones’s message is clear: “We’re already resilient. That’s part of who we are. Just keep being you and bring that strength wherever you go.”