This Veterans Day, Texas Nurse Practitioners proudly honors NPs whose commitment to service spans from our nation’s armed forces to the patients and communities they care for today. In the stories that follow, we share these veterans’ military experiences and the ways serving their country shaped their lives and careers. Join us in recognizing their dedication, sacrifice, and lasting contributions.
Janice Arceneaux: A Commitment to Care, a Lifetime of Service
For Commander Janice Arceneaux, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, CMSRN, service is a commitment to the people who depend on her, whether in uniform, at the bedside, or across the nation’s healthcare systems.
With approximately 27 years of combined uniformed service, Arceneaux served in the United States Army from 1990 to 1998, retiring as a Sergeant. In 2007, she joined the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, where she continues to serve on active duty as a Commander.
Army assignments in Panama and Honduras strengthened her adaptability and deepened her appreciation for the cultural experiences that shape communication, trust, and care. Military leadership also taught her that caring for others requires preparation, accountability, sound judgment, and consistent action.
Those lessons underpin her work as a family nurse practitioner and as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. Listening and understanding the whole person remain central to her practice.
Her commitment extends to public health emergencies. During a 2020 Houston response, she served as Safety Officer, supporting more than 100 Texas Army National Guard personnel in operations that served more than 800 residents daily. From 2020 through 2024, she helped lead a national clinical advisory and contact tracing team that supported protections for more than 6,000 federal employees and contractors.
More recently, at Parker Indian Health Center, she led the implementation of a Patient-Centered Medical Home model to strengthen coordinated, culturally responsive care.
This Veterans Day, Arceneaux’s story exemplifies an enduring dedication to patients, colleagues, and communities. The principle of leaving no one behind continues to guide her nursing, mentorship, and healthcare leadership—with a purpose that reaches every nurse, every patient, and every healthcare system she serves.
Tira Bolder: A Lifelong Commitment to Service
For Tira Bolder, ACNP-BC, a desire to serve her country began immediately after high school and evolved into a career dedicated to caring for others.
Bolder served in the U.S. Air Force from 1986 to 1992 as a Personnel Specialist, including an assignment at Ramstein Air Base in Germany from 1988 to 1990. After her Air Force service, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and began working in the Intensive Care Unit at the Wichita VA Medical Center.
Her commitment to military service continued in the U.S. Army Reserve, where she served as a Critical Care Registered Nurse from 2001 to 2016. Her assignments included COB Speicher and Balad Air Base in Iraq during 2007–2008. She retired with the rank of Captain.
Military service instilled the discipline, leadership, and resilience that shaped Bolder’s nursing career. In 2012, she relocated to Dallas and served as a nurse practitioner in the VA Emergency Department, continuing to care for fellow veterans until her retirement from the Department of Veterans Affairs in November 2024.
Today, as the owner and CEO of Therapeutic Hands, PLLC, Bolder provides specialized wound care and home-based medical services.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors her service in two military branches and her continued dedication to patients. Her journey reflects a belief forged in years of uniform: nursing is a lifelong commitment to compassion, service, and making a difference.
Laura Cervantes: From Marine Corps Service to Compassionate Care
For Laura Cervantes, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, a commitment to serving others took root long before she entered nursing. Her experiences in the United States Marine Corps shaped her understanding of leadership, responsibility, and the importance of being present when people need help most.
Cervantes served on active duty from 2002 to 2007, leaving as a Corporal (E4). As an Airfield Operations Specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, she developed the discipline and adaptability that continue to guide her professional life. She also represented her branch on the All-Marine Boxing Team.
Two deployments to Iraq in 2004 and 2006 profoundly shaped her future. Exposure to human suffering at a young age helped her recognize the importance of supporting people during their most vulnerable moments. Those experiences ultimately inspired her to pursue nursing.
The Marine Corps taught Cervantes to remain calm under pressure, navigate uncertainty, and lead with courage. Today, she applies those lessons to patient care and to the leadership of her primary care practice. Her military experience continues to inform how she approaches challenges and to her acceptance of responsibility for those entrusted to her care.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Cervantes’ service to her country and her ongoing dedication to her community. From military operations to primary care, her career reflects a conviction forged during her years as a Marine: meaningful work begins with service to others.
Justin Cullers: A Calling Shaped by Service
For Captain Justin Cullers, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, the current TNP Board Vice President, caring for fellow service members helped shape his path toward psychiatric-mental health nursing.
Cullers began his Army career as a Combat Medic in 1988 and served on an ambulance crew during the Gulf War in 1991. Later, as an Army nurse at Brooke Army Medical Center in the early months of the Iraq War, he cared for injured service members—an experience that inspired him to become a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner.
He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Captain in 2013 after 25 years of service.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Cullers’ dedication to his country and the military experiences that shaped his commitment to caring for others.
Veronica Emholtz: A Nursing Career Inspired by Service
For Veronica Emholtz, DNP, FNP-BC, a career in nursing began with the medical training she received upon joining the U.S. Air Force 29 years ago. That introduction to caring for others helped shape the course of her education and professional future.
Trained as a military medic and certified as an emergency medical technician, Emholtz discovered a path that would extend well beyond her initial training. After completing that preparation, she returned to school and applied to nursing school, building on the foundation established through her Air Force service.
Today, Emholtz serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and as an Aerospace Nurse Practitioner. Her progression from medic and EMT to advanced practice nurse reflects the lasting influence of military training on a healthcare career.
Over 29 years of service, the connection between her military and nursing roles has remained central to her story. What began as an opportunity to learn medical skills became the starting point for her pursuit of nursing and advanced practice.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Emholtz’s continued service to her country and her contributions to nursing—a professional journey that began with her training as an Air Force medic.
Adrienne Fields: A Legacy of Leadership, Readiness, and Care
For Adrienne N. Fields, ACNP-BC, 20 years in the U.S. Air Force strengthened a nursing career defined by clinical skill, teamwork, and a commitment to preparing others to provide patient care.
Fields retired on January 31, 2026, as a Lieutenant Colonel. Throughout her military career, she served as an emergency and trauma nurse, nurse practitioner, trauma educator, and commander—roles that required both decisive leadership and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Her assignments included service in Balad, Iraq, with the “Arrowhead” emergency and trauma unit, and at Al-Udeid with the Joint Patient Requirements Movement Center. Through Defense Institute of Medical Operations educational missions, she also shared her expertise in Liberia and Prague, Czech Republic, thereby extending her service through international education.
Military nursing sharpened Fields’ triage and trauma management skills and instilled the discipline needed to respond under pressure. Her experiences reinforced the importance of strong interdisciplinary teams and the resilience required to navigate adversity.
Those lessons continue to shape her professional purpose. Having experienced the demands of emergency and trauma care, Fields remains committed to mentoring new nurses. Supporting their growth lets her share the knowledge, preparation, and teamwork that proved essential throughout her own service.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Fields’ two decades of dedication to her country and profession. Her legacy endures through the patients she cared for, the teams she led, and the nurses she continues to inspire.
Michael Idemudia: Service, Teamwork, and Dedication
Michael Idemudia, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, served in the United States Marine Corps from 1995 to 1999, leaving as a Corporal. His duties as an administrative assistant and mail clerk included two tours in Okinawa, Japan.
His Marine Corps experience taught him the value of teamwork, brotherhood, physical fitness, and hard work. These lessons provided a foundation for his subsequent nursing career and his approach to serving others.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Idemudia’s military service, recognizes the enduring influence of those formative years on his professional journey as a family nurse practitioner, and acknowledges his commitment to others.
Dr. Kylie Killebrew: Leading Through Service, Advancing Through Care
For Dr. Kylie Killebrew, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC, CNE, military service has shaped her clinical practice and leadership approach. Since joining the United States Army in 2013, she has built a nursing career grounded in adaptability, teamwork, accountability, and service to others.
Now a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, Killebrew brings 13 years of service to her work in military and civilian healthcare. Her military roles have included Army nurse and Army nurse practitioner, with experience in critical care, trauma, and burn medicine. She has also served as a nurse practitioner supporting the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center.
Caring for complex and critically ill patients has strengthened her ability to make critical decisions under pressure. Working alongside multidisciplinary teams has reinforced the importance of collaboration, shared responsibility, and sound clinical judgment—principles that continue to guide her patient care and professional leadership.
Those experiences extend into her civilian career in critical care, transplant medicine, nursing education, and healthcare leadership. The demands of military nursing have helped her navigate changing circumstances while staying focused on the needs of patients and the teams caring for them.
Her Army service has also deepened her commitment to lifelong learning and mentorship. Through education and support for fellow nurses, she upholds the values that have shaped her professional growth.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Killebrew’s continued service to her country and her contributions to the nursing profession. As a soldier, clinician, educator, and leader, she demonstrates how military experience can strengthen patient care and inspire a lasting commitment to service.
Diane Klutz: A Legacy of Service, Care, and Courage
For Diane Klutz, PhD, FNP-Retired, and Past President of TNP (2006-2008), nursing and service have been intertwined since the beginning. A Vietnam Combat Veteran, longtime Texas Nurse Practitioners member, and former TNP president, she has dedicated her career to caring for others and to preparing future generations of nurses.
Klutz served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps from 1969 to 1971, entering active duty just four months after graduating from a hospital-based nursing program.
Her first assignment took her to Walter Reed for seven months, followed by a six-month tour at the 67th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon, South Vietnam. Her final duty station was Fort Gordon, Georgia, where she met her husband.
Though her Army service lasted only a few years, its influence endured throughout her 45-year nursing career. The experience gave her the strength and courage to pursue undergraduate and graduate studies, ultimately earning a PhD in Nursing.
Her career encompassed delivering babies, providing care as a family nurse practitioner in rural clinics, and teaching nurses the art and science of advanced practice. A TNP member since 1994, she served as the association’s president from 2006 to 2008, furthering her commitment to service through professional leadership.
Today, Klutz remains a proud nurse and Vietnam Combat Veteran. Through her involvement in veterans’ organizations, she speaks with local youth groups about the meaning of service and encourages them to participate in patriotic events.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors her enduring contributions to her country, profession, and community—and her commitment to helping young people understand the meaning of duty, honor, and country.
Christa Lincke: From Aircraft Support to Patient Care
For Christa Lincke, FNP-C, service in the U.S. Air Force helped her discover a passion for nursing and provided the financial support to pursue that calling.
Lincke’s military commitment totaled four years of active duty, four years in the Reserve, and eight years in the Ready Reserve. She held the rank of Senior Airman and served as an Aerospace Ground Equipment mechanic, specializing in diesel mechanics. Her service also included a deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan.
Her military role focused on equipment, but the experience helped point her toward a future in caring for people. The Air Force became an important part of her path to nursing, helping her identify the profession she wanted to pursue and making the required education more accessible.
Today, her credentials as a family nurse practitioner mark the continuation of that journey. Her story highlights the influence of military service beyond an individual’s time in uniform, opening doors to education and a new professional purpose.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Lincke’s service to her country and her ongoing contributions to nursing. From supporting Air Force operations to providing patient care, her journey illustrates how military experience can shape a lasting calling to serve others.
Kate Taylor: Prepared to Lead, Committed to Care
For Kate Taylor, DNP, FNP-C, CPPS, FNAP, a current TNP Board Member at Large, military service transformed the discipline of a competitive athlete into a lasting commitment to nursing, leadership, and community care.
Taylor served 7.5 years as a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer, retiring from active duty as a Captain. Her path began with an unexpected conversation with an Army recruiter in high school, which led to a four-year Army ROTC nursing scholarship at Texas Christian University.
Her military nursing career included assignments at Brooke Army Medical Center, Madigan Army Medical Center, and Tripler Army Medical Center. At Brooke, she advanced from surgical nursing to trauma intensive care, where experienced nurses helped her navigate the demands of caring for critically ill patients.
That mentorship left a lasting impression. Facing unfamiliar clinical challenges, Taylor learned the value of preparation, adaptability, teamwork, and supporting colleagues as they build confidence. At Tripler, cross-training in pediatric, neurological, and neonatal intensive care broadened her clinical experience.
After transitioning to civilian life to raise her children, Taylor carried those lessons into 12 years as a hospitalist nurse practitioner in Weatherford. Caring for seriously ill patients deepened her gratitude and reinforced her determination to make each patient her top priority.
Today, as an associate dean at UNT Health Fort Worth, she extends that commitment through nursing education, mentorship, and community partnerships. Her work also includes developing care models for older adults in senior living communities.
This Veterans Day, TNP honors Taylor’s service and the enduring influence of her Army experience—a foundation that continues to shape how she cares, teaches, and leads.
