This decorated U.S. Army veteran was inspired to serve because of her roots in South Jersey

Growing up in South Jersey, Army Maj. Jasmine Walker Motupalli set her sights on attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point — mainly to spare her parents the cost of a college education.

She got an early acceptance her senior year at Haddon Heights High School and made history as the first Lawnside resident appointed to West Point.

Then, terrorists attacked the country on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people, and her decision to attend West Point suddenly took on new meaning.

“It just became so real,” Motupalli recalled in an interview this week. “My goal changed solely to `I want to serve my country.’”

She completed applications for Ivy League schools, including Harvard, but never submitted them. She made Rutgers University her “safety net,” just in case she failed her physical.

“It was West Point or bust,” she said, smiling.

During a 13-year career, Motupalli served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was wounded, and received a Purple Heart. As an Army intelligence officer, she helped recover civilian hostages in Iraq. She later worked at the Pentagon and taught at her alma mater.

Motupalli, 38, now a civilian, was invited to share her military journey during a Veterans Day celebration held via Zoom on Thursday night sponsored by the Lawnside Historical Society. She was lauded as a hometown hero and decorated officer who broke barriers for women and Black soldiers.

“My hope is that we are in some small way exposing people to her contributions,” said Linda Shockley, the society’s president. “Hopefully she will be able to inspire more young people.”

Lawnside, a stop on the Underground Railroad that helped formerly enslaved people on their journey to freedom, has a strong military history. The Mount Peace Cemetery is the final resting place for 77 Black Civil War veterans, including Medal of Honor recipient John H. Lawson. Their remains were sent to Lawnside for burial because they were not permitted in white cemeteries.

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Motupalli and her family moved to Lawnside when she was 10. Her father, a former NFL player and executive, would hold impromptu barbecues, and neighbors would flock to their backyard.

“You didn’t have to invite anyone,” she recalled.

Motupalli said her formative years in Lawnside, a close-knit community of about 3,000, helped shape her future and develop leadership skills that served her well in the military. Her family has since relocated, but she keeps in touch with former neighbors and teachers.

“Jasmine was one of those kids that you knew nothing was going to hold her back,” said Larry Ottman, her high school honors math teacher. “It was just pretty evident that she was a special kid who would go on to do some special things.”

Motupalli left for West Point after graduating from high school in 2002. She was motivated by her late father, Cornelius, whom she described as a feminist who encouraged her strong determination. Her paternal grandmother was in the Women’s Army Air Corps and other relatives served in the military, too.

Motupalli graduated from West Point in May 2006 with a bachelor’s in math sciences and system engineering. She was a standout as a jumper on the Army track team.

“She’s pretty amazing,” said her husband, Venkat Motupalli, a retired Army captain and experienced combat officer whom she met at West Point. “She makes everyone around her better.”

After graduation, Motupalli was commissioned as a second lieutenant and stationed at Fort Hood in Texas before her first deployment in 2007 to Mosul at the height of the surge. Her 15-month deployment with the Third Armored Calvary Regiment in Mosul began as an intelligence officer, providing assessments for the area. She fell into hostage recovery, which would become one of her specialties.

“Mosul was super violent,” she recalled.

Motupalli said she helped recover prominent Iraqis who, when funds were low, were kidnapped by al- Qaeda to be held for ransom. One night, she devised a plan to rescue the wife and mother of an Iraqi police commander.

In 2011, Motupalli was deployed to Afghanistan, where she commanded a headquarters company, one of the first women assigned to oversee a combat unit. A bounty was put on her head by the Afghans as the only female commander in her brigade combat team, but she believed she deserved a chance to serve.

“If a woman can do this job better, I didn’t understand what gender had to do with it,” she said. “It didn’t make sense.”

In addition to the Purple Heart, her awards and decorations include a Bronze Star Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal and an Army Commendation Medal. She also received the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.

Motupalli was injured in May 2012 in Afghanistan when her unit came under fire while trying to recover a vehicle that had rolled over. She sustained a traumatic brain injury and was hospitalized for 10 days.

The Army wanted to send Motupalli to Germany to recover from her injuries, but she refused. She didn’t want to make it harder for other women and soldiers of color who may follow in her path. Motupalli said she was partly inspired by the efforts of Ida B. Wells, a journalist, suffragist, and early leader in the civil rights movement.

“I never want to be the reason there can’t be someone behind me,” she said.

Motupalli returned to the U.S. a short time later, where she underwent additional medical treatment. She later obtained a master’s degree at Georgia Tech. She retired from the Army in 2019. She worked at the Pentagon for a year and later as an assistant professor at West Point in the Department of Systems Engineering.

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Motupalli currently lives in suburban Denver with her husband and two children, ages 4 and 10. She is employed by Gusto, a software firm as director of customer experience, data, and insights. She serves on the board of the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs and has been an advocate for homeless veterans.

“The journey has been one that I don’t regret,” she said. “I certainly would do it all over again.”