#VeteranOfTheDay Air Force and Army Veteran Kyle St. John

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force and Army Veteran Kyle St. John, who served in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq and is now a VA police officer.

Kyle St. John was responsible for parachuting maneuvers and coordinating landings as well as using airborne equipment and ammunition during his tour in Afghanistan. During his service, St. John was in charge of supervising up to 50 soldiers on a daily basis. From March 2009 to September 2017, he was in the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing. He served during Operation New Dawn in both Iraq and Kuwait.

After the military, St. John transitioned to law enforcement where he wished to continue to serve and protect the citizens of the country he fought for in Iraq and Afghanistan. He pursued a career as a federal corrections officer at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City for over 10 years. St. John later became a part of the VA police force in Northport, New York, after spending time as a patient at the medical facility there. While there, he experienced firsthand the impact that police officers had on patients and how they interacted with and took care of the Veteran population.

In 2019, St. John graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Academy and became a police officer with the VA Police to protect VA Medical Centers in his community. He has been a police officer at the Northport VA Medical Center ever since. St. John said he chose to serve the Veteran community as a VA police officer after serving in the military for many years because of the community he and others are part of has “many deserving and honorable people.”

St. John received an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, an Army Good Conduct Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, a NATO Medal, a Parachutist Badge and a Combat Action Badge.

Thank you for your service!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Contributors

Writer: Hagen Kenny

Editor: Amanda Baker & Katherine Berman

Fact checker: Kay Snyder

Graphic artist: Grace Yang