American Legion Beaufort Post 207 brings you Annabelle O’Grady, 49, who joined the U.S. Army in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., in 2000 and attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson. She then trained in administrative support before being assigned to a Combat Support Hospital (like a MASH) at Fort Lewis, Wash.
She was next assigned to a Combat Support Hospital at Phitsanulok in central Thailand. She separated at the end of 2002 to attend the City University of Seattle on the GI Bill. After earning a BA degree in project management, she worked for the biotech company, AMGEN in Seattle before working for another biotech research company in Japan. In 2013 she returned to Seattle to work on clinical trials of common health issues.
In 2013, O’Grady moved to Beaufort County to do remote work for CorEvitas, tracking the wellness of 65,000 people with arthritis. In 2022, she began work for a Chinese company as the head of evaluation for pediatric rare disease trials.
Beginning last year, she has been volunteering to help veterans write resumes, translating military terms into civilian terminology and finding “best fit” civilian employment. She also qualified as a DAV disability claims officer and helps process claims at AMVETS each Thursday morning, all while beginning an on-line course at Harvard studying brain disease.
Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 207. For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.