Meet Kimberly Mitchell of Veterans Village in Midway District

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Mitchell.

Kimberly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 1972 when the North Vietnamese were advancing into the town of Quang Tri, a South Vietnamese Marine and his company were assigned to evacuate the village and then blow up the bridge just south of the village to try to slow down the advancement of the North Vietnamese. Right before they blew up the bridge, one last survivor from the town stumbled across the bridge carrying a bundle. When they went up to investigate, the bundle was a small infant girl wrapped up in a town and placed in a hat. He described that he found her along the side of the road, trying to nurse on her dead mother. He asked the South Vietnamese Marine to take the child and bring her to the Sacred Heart Orphanage in DaNang. When the child was given to the nuns, they asked what her name was, and having no name, they asked the South Vietnamese Marine to name her, and he gave her the name he had picked out for his first daughter, Ngoc Bich, which means Precious Pearl. A couple weeks later, a U.S. Airman, stationed at the air base in DaNang, came to the orphanage to bring clothes and gifts to the nuns, and they placed the little baby known as Ngoc Bich into his arms and he fell in love. In September of 1972, I was flown to the United States to be adopted and start my new life in America. After 6 years of moving around the country since my father was still in the Air Force, he finally retired in northern Wisconsin. There, my family and I lived and I grew up knowing that I would have a life of service. I applied to the U.S. Naval Academy in high school and was accepted. In 1996, I graduated from the Naval Academy and spend the next 17 years as a Surface Warfare Officer serving various tours onboard ships and at the Pentagon in Washington DC. My last 2 years in the Navy, I was selected to work for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Warrior and Family Support Office. In that job, I traveled to over 329 communities nationwide working with community organizations and figuring out what the challenges were for veterans, and military families to successfully transition from the military to civilian life. In 2012, I left the Navy and co-founded Dixon Center for Veterans and Military Services in Washington DC where I continued to work with community based solutions. In 2017, I applied for the job as CEO of Veterans Village of San Diego and was honored to be offered this amazing opportunity to lead an organization which was started by a group of Vietnam Veterans for Vietnam Veterans back in 1981. For me, my life has come full circle. I am in the job where all of my life experiences has prepared me for this role as CEO of VVSD, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Has it been a smooth road?
No life is perfect. Obviously being born in Vietnam during the war could have been a big obstacle. Growing up in Northern Wisconsin as the only minority in grade school, middle school and high school that added some challenges along the way. Another event that occurred in my life was that 2 weeks prior to reporting to the Naval Academy, my father was struck by lightning and killed on our farm. I believe that everything happens for a reason.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Veterans Village of San Diego story. Tell us more about the business.
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) was established in 1981 by a group of 5 Vietnam Veterans for Vietnam Veterans as they recognized that the veterans needed services, resources and treatment programs. Over the course of the last 35 years, VVSD has evolved its programs to be relevant to the current generation of veterans returning home. We are one of the best residential treatment programs for our veterans focusing on mental health and substance use programs. We have an extremely high success rate for veteran who have completed our programs. VVSD’s programs are unique in that each program is specifically tailored for the needs of each veteran who comes to VVSD for assistance whether it is rehabilitation, employment programs or housing.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There will always be challenges for our veterans and their families as they transition from military service to the civilian community. As time goes on, the face of the homeless veteran is changing. For many, the face of the homeless veteran may be the old Vietnam Veteran living under a bridge. The reality is that many of our homeless veterans are young and living in their cars. Outreach, connections, and communication with the younger generation of veterans will need to continue and programs tailored to reach these veterans before they become homeless.

Contact Info:

• Address: Veterans Village of San Diego
  4141 Pacific Hwy
  San Diego CA 92110
• Website: vvsd.net
• Phone: 619.393.2000
• Email: info@vvsd.net
• Instagram: @veteransvillageofsd
• Facebook: @VVSD.Veterans
• Twitter: @VVSD_Veterans

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