Jas Boothe
Jaspen (Jas) Boothe is a disabled Army Veteran, Cancer Survivor and Veteran Advocate who gave 13 years of service to this great nation.
Jas Founded Final Salute Inc. in November 2010 as part of her commitment to “Never Leave a Fallen Comrade”.
She deployed during the Operation Iraq Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom campaigns and her military career was dedicated to working with and advocating for Soldiers and their family members.
In 2005, she was a single parent in the Army Reserves living in New Orleans. That spring, she learned she would soon be deploying to Iraq. During her mobilization, Boothe’s life was torn apart by two significant events. In August she lost everything she owned due to Hurricane Katrina. She tried to shift her focus to her platoon that was counting on her for leadership in a combat zone. The very next month in September, she received a devastating diagnosis of an aggressive head, neck, and throat cancer, and was now unable to deploy.
Boothe’s options were limited and posed some very hard choices for her. Because of her illness, she had to discharge from the military. But she needed complex full-time medical care, employment, and a place to live with her young son. When searching for what assistance might be available, she was told there were no existing programs for women Veterans with children and that she should explore welfare and social services as an option, just like every other single mother with an illegitimate child. Jas then realized that America had forgott en about the women who have served, fought, bled and died along side their brothers. She found these options unacceptable for a woman who had honorably served her country. After extensive cancer treatment, including radiation therapy that left life-long side effects, at Brooke Army Medical Center, she was allowed to stay in the Reserves and immediately began looking for full-time employment and a place for her and her son to live.
In 2006, she relocated to Missouri with her aunt, where she subsequently accepted a job offer from the Army National Guard. Later in the year, she received an opportunity to return to full-time duty in Washington, DC. Boothe never forgot what she and her son had been through and was determined to ensure her fellow sister Veterans had a resource in their time of need. She also wanted to ensure they were treated with the dignity and respect earned they had earned under extremely severe circumstances
Final Salute has assisted over 300 women Veterans and children in over 15 States and Territories. They now operate 3 transitional homes in Alexandria, VA, Martinsburg, WV and Columbus, OH.
Final Salute is currently the only non-profit in the DC Metro Area that uniquely houses and supports homeless women Veterans and their children.
Boothe holds dual MAs in Human Resource Management and Management and Leadership from Webster University.
Jas is the mother of two wonderful boys, Brandon (currently serving in the United States Air Force) and Jammel Jr. She is also the wife of former Marine Combat Veteran, Jammel R. Boothe Sr.
Here a few of the awards she has received for her leadership and community impact: 2014 Oprah Winfrey Standing Ovation, CNN Hero, 2014 Live with Kelly and Michael Unstoppable Mom, 2014 YWCA Woman of Distinction, 2014 First Lady of Virginia’s FLITE Award – Opportunity Hall of Fame Inductee, 2014 Influential Woman Of the Year – Virginia Lawyer’s Media, and 2013 Woman of the Year (non-profit/government) – Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
