From recruit to advocate: Veteran returns to Parris Island with a new mission
A veteran of the Army Reserve, Marine Corps and Navy, Ancheta now serves the military community in another way: advocating for women veterans and raising awareness of homelessness among women veterans and their children.
“I always wanted to serve,” said Ancheta. “Since I left, I don’t think I’ve ever left the veteran or military community. It’s always held very close to my heart. But now I feel like I’m serving it just in a different capacity.”
Ancheta’s military career began in 1980 when she joined the Army Reserve. Two years later, looking for an opportunity to serve on active duty, she visited a Marine Corps recruiter and enlisted in the Marine Corps.
Her time at Parris Island became one of the defining experiences of her career.
During recruit training, Ancheta recalled a drill instructor pulling her aside and telling her she was capable of giving more.
That lesson stayed with her.
“Don’t ever settle for the minimum,” she said.
After graduating recruit training, Ancheta served in supply and eventually returned to Parris Island, where she worked at the depot’s mess hall. After several years in the Marine Corps, a gunnery sergeant encouraged her to pursue higher education.
She began taking college courses and considered becoming a drill instructor herself. However, after discovering she was pregnant, Ancheta made the decision to leave the Marine Corps to raise her family.
Her military service did not end there.
Ancheta attended the Medical University of South Carolina and graduated from its nursing program in 1992. She then joined the Navy as a nurse, serving at Naval Hospital Beaufort from 1992 to 1996.
During her Navy career, she cared for service members and their families and participated in a humanitarian mission at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the Cuban and Haitian refugee crisis.
The experience reinforced what service meant to her.
“I was always proud to serve, to wear the uniform,” she said.
After leaving the military, Ancheta continued working in health care, eventually serving as a wellness nurse and health coach for major insurance companies. Her work focused on helping people improve their health through smoking cessation, weight management and chronic disease prevention.
Even after transitioning to civilian life, Ancheta remained connected to the veteran community.
That connection led her to Final Salute Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on assisting homeless women veterans and their children. After learning about the organization’s mission, Ancheta decided to become more directly involved.
She is now one of the top 20 finalists in Miss Veteran America, a competition hosted by Final Salute that combines advocacy, volunteerism and fundraising to raise awareness for women veterans facing homelessness.
“I thought it was a beauty pageant, and that's not my cup of tea,” Ancheta said. “But when I found out what it was really about, I said, ‘This is something I can do.’”
As part of the competition, Ancheta has used her military community to raise funds and awareness, including selling hundreds of empanadas and participating in fundraising events.
“It all starts with an empanada,” she said.
For Ancheta, the effort represents more than a competition. It is an opportunity to tell a story she believes deserves greater attention.
She also volunteers with Disabled American Veterans, helping veterans navigate claims and benefits. Through that work, she has encountered questions about homelessness and financial hardship that have made her wonder what happens after a veteran asks for help.
Her goal is to help ensure those veterans are not overlooked.
Now, as she stands at the place where her own military journey began, Ancheta sees the return to Parris Island as more than a visit.
“This is where I started, and here I am 40 years later,” she said. “It’s coming right back.”
For Ancheta, the uniform may have been left behind, but the commitment to those who wear it never was.
(U.S. Marine Corps story by Cpl. Dylan Smith, U.S. Marine Corps graphic by Lance Cpl. Elijah Allen)
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