Sylinthia Burges

Sylinthia Burges was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The daughter of a Vietnam veteran and niece to six uncles who also served in the military, she comes from a strong family tradition. This disciplined, regimented childhood influenced Ms. Burges into her young adult life. She joined the Army in 1984, after graduating from high school in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Going on to further her education, Ms. Burges graduated with her B.S. in Psychology from Fayetteville State University.

Ms. Burges worked in a military law office during a deployment to South Korea. In her last year of service, she married a military officer who served as a staff sergeant and Airborne Ranger in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

In April 2015, Ms. Burges began working with the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency and is an Accredited Veteran Service Officer and advocate for veterans. She is the first woman ever hired there to help former military personnel grapple with health, housing, family, financial and other issues. She has seen hundreds of veterans, many who have slept on trains, in cars and vacant buildings and who struggle with homelessness.

Ms. Burges is also a Mental Health Case Manager with Inman Home Health, where she advocates for high-risk children, adults, and elderly persons afflicted by mental and substance abuse disorders.

Finding an outlet for her passion for helping women veterans and changing the stigma of a female veteran being invisible, she established “Women in the Military,” by recruiting a group of dedicated women veteran volunteers. A growing nonprofit organization that not only connects female veterans with crucial resources, but with each other, Ms. Burges’ dream is to provide all female veterans in need with a wide range of assistance and resources.

Ms. Burges exemplifies the Army’s seven core values, which encompass what she is all about: loyalty, duty, respect, personal courage, honor, integrity and selfless service.