“Fortunate” and “grateful” aren’t always the words used to describe one’s job, but for Jeremy Moorehead, those words are what come to mind.

Moorehead is Marshall County’s new Veterans Services officer, assisting the county’s veterans navigate the sometimes complex web of federal and state benefits and healthcare.

“It’s an honor to be able to help these men and women who’ve served,” he said.

Moorehead is the first to occupy the office since the county funded its transition from a part-time to a full-time position, in this budget year.

Local vets have advocated for a long time for the expansion of the office serving the county’s estimated 2,300 veterans.

His office has been busy too, Moorehead said, stating that he saw anywhere from eight to 14 veterans per day in the office since he started several weeks ago.

For homebound vets, Moorehead makes house calls, if needed, to deliver services.

Moorehead grew up in the Petersburg area before attending Cornersville High School, graduating in 1996.

Entering the Army after graduation, he served eight years before injuries suffered during a deployment in Afghanistan forced him to leave the service for medical reasons.

Moorehead said that his own experiences dealing with the Veterans Administration for his own service-related injuries help him serve others.

“I can understand the bureaucracy,” he said.

He took advantage of the department’s new Choice program to have a recent surgery at Vanderbilt instead of the VA due to wait times.

Moorehead said that he hopes to expand the assistance of a county that has really stepped up to support its veterans, citing the weekly Veterans Outreach meetings, Moms on a Mission support to overseas troops, the local veterans organizations, and the funding of transportation for vets to appointments by the city of Lewisburg as examples.

“We are fortunate for the community’s support,” he said.