CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – The West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance is launching a new program to help women veterans in the Mountain State.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced the new Women Veterans Program during his semi-regular briefing Wednesday. He was joined by one of the soon-to-be leaders of the program, West Virginia native and former Prisoner of War Jessica Lynch, for the announcement.

During his briefing, the governor thanked U.S. Army PFC (ret.) Jessica Lynch for her willingness to help her fellow women veterans throughout the state.

“Jessica, I can never thank you enough, and you stepped up. You stepped up for this nation beyond belief, but now you’re stepping up for West Virginia again, and you’re stepping up for our women veterans and everything,” Justice said. “And they need help, need help. Need our ambassadors and need help and everything. So let’s try to do any and everything we can to salute and help our women veterans.”

The governor and Lynch say there is a “huge need” to help women veterans following their service to their country. According to the WV Department of Veterans Assistance, the experience women and men have in the military can be “substantially different.” The department says, for example, women in the military experience a higher level of military sexual trauma (MST).

The program’s goal is to help women veterans who may have experienced MST or other types of trauma while in service who are reluctant to file for their earned benefits and help them get those benefits.

Lynch says she is excited to help other women veterans across the state through this new program.

“This will be very exciting for me because I’m going to be able to come on, and I’m going to help women veterans across the state, and my hope is just to be able to really work with them and get them anything that they are lacking or that they are needing at this moment,” Lynch said. “So, it’s going to be a very exciting job that I’m willing to take on, and I hope that we are able to reach more women veterans across the state.”

Lynch was born in Palestine, West Virginia in Wirt County. In February of 2003, Lynch’s unit was deployed to Kuwait. Then, on March 23, 2003, the company “mistakenly veered off” the highway into enemy-held territory, according to Lynch’s website.

Lynch’s website says the company ran into an ambush, which caused the vehicle to crash, knocking her unconscious. Eleven of her fellow soldiers were killed in the attack while Lynch and five other soldiers were taken captive. Lynch was held in captivity for nine days until she was rescued by special forces on April 1. The other five captive soldiers were released on April 12.

According to her website, Lynch was seriously injured from the attack and had multiple broken bones, cracked ribs and a laceration to her head. She underwent multiple surgeries at a hospital in Germany to stabilize her fractures and other injuries.

“This is a lady with grit beyond belief. I mean, that’s just all there is to it. It’s amazing about her story,” Justice said. “I would welcome you if you’re really young and you have missed this story you need to look up Jessica Lynch and you’ll see a superstar beyond belief, and she’s our own from this great state of West Virginia.”

After healing and returning to the U.S., Lynch went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Communications Studies. She has also become a public speaker, working to make sure the story of her fellow POWs is told alongside hers. Her website has a page honoring her fellow soldiers, both those who survived and the 11 killed in the attack.