BAY PINES, Fla. — A life of purpose for one Bay area veteran has led him right back to a familiar spot.

Life after active-duty military service can lead to many different paths.

Bay Pines VA Assistant Nurse Manager Eduardo Alegria is now literally making his military family feel good.

Spectrum Bay News 9 caught up with him as he performed a veteran’s health check-up at the veteran’s hospital.

Kevin Dixon, who is a Gulf War Veteran, described his appreciation of having a fellow vet take care of him.

"It's good that these people that have this profession give back to the veterans that deserve care for what they did for their country," said Dixon. “We appreciate their service. I'm sure they appreciate mine. So that's a good thing.”

As Alegria made the rounds checking up on staff, we talked about his journey to get to Bay Pines.

"You can relate to them, and they can relate to you,” Alegria said. “So, it's a win-win."

He enlisted in 2003, months after the September 11^th attacks.

Then he deployed for the initial Operation Iraqi Freedom surge.

He was wounded in battle, received a Purple Heart and then had a change of heart and became an Army Medic.

"The nursing world opened the door for me to give back again," he said.

After active duty, Alegria went to the University of South Florida and graduated from the Nursing College and joined the private sector.

During the Covid pandemic, he realized his life mission wasn't complete.

"I came to the VA and I started working here and now I'm full circle working where I feel I am at home, where I feel I'm with family," Alegria explained.

He’s feeling good and meant it.

His wife and a friend from USF Nursing convinced him to join Bay Pines where they all now work together.

"Definitely it makes me feel happy,” he said.  “We're all back here and we're giving back to the not just the community but the community of veterans that have served our beautiful country."

It’s a call to action for Bay Pines that’s always looking to add to their ranks.

They hope more veterans like Alegria decide to return to service as members of the VA family.

Alegria is part of a staff that serves about 115,000 vets, from Palm Harbor all the way down to Ft. Myers.