JACKSON, Mich. (WLNS) – She’s a wife, a mother and a nurse.

“It’s been such a rewarding career. I get to help people every day. I worked about 9 years in ICU and almost 6 years in hospice,” said Eowyn Boyd.

Healthcare is something that runs in her family

“I have two grandmas who are nurses. I have an aunt who is a nurse, my mom, my uncle, a lot of medical background in my family,” she said.

Her family ties and the inspiration she takes from them clearly run deep.

“I have a lot of good role models in my family. I have strong leaders who just work through everything. My grandparents, my parents, aunts and uncles, everyone surrounding me is always striving to do more,” said Boyd.

Doing more is exactly what Eowyn did when she joined the U.S. military.

“My grandpa was in World War 2. He was drafted when he was 17 and he’s kinda the coolest person I know so I always thought maybe I would be in the military too,” she said.

She enlisted two days before her 35th birthday back in 2015.

“That’s about as old as you can be if you’re enlisting into the army reserves”

But unlike her grandpa, Eowyn was already a mother of two young girls when she decided to serve our country.

Her husband says leaving her daughters behind was the bravest part of it all, knowing Eowyn was worried every single day she spent away.

“You do often have to sacrifice to achieve your goals so if that means leaving your family to serve a greater purpose,” said Eowyn. “It was hard, but I am really grateful for the time I’ve put in the military and all I’ve learned through that process.”

While she isn’t on active duty anymore, Eowyn still serves in the Individual Ready Reserves and could be deployed at any time. But even if that never happens, now that she’s earned her master’s degree in nursing, she would like to see her work with the military take a new turn in the future.

“I would love to work with veterans. They have sacrificed so much for us I think they deserve a little bit of love. You see the wounded warriors with no legs running marathons somehow. Those are the true heroes and true inspirational heroes. If people like that can be productive and thrive in society and life, all the rest of us can too.”