Author, The Trident (2013)
Former Navy SEAL, served in various east coast SEAL teams
Founder, Wounded Wear, a non-profit organization helping combat-wounded warriors through programs, opportunities and clothing modifications, since 2009
Wife: Erica
Children: Phoenix, Angelica and Mackenzie
Guest Bio
Former Navy SEAL Determined to Help Other Wounded Warriors
CBN.com
–MISSION IN IRAQ
Jason knew he wanted to be a SEAL when he was a young boy. In 1993, he graduated high school and enlisted in the Navy. In 1994, Jason graduated from Basic Underwater and Demolition/SEAL training. He operated in East Coast SEAL teams before he was accepted into the Seaman to Admiral Navy Commissioning program and started college at Old Dominion University in 2001. Three years later, Jason graduated summa cum laude and became a commissioned officer. Meanwhile as he was in college, all of his SEAL comrades had gone to war. “The fires of Afghanistan and Iraq fundamentally altered our tactics and procedures,” says Jason. “I had no idea just how deeply that would affect me when I graduated and returned to the teams in 2004.” When he finally realized what it was to be a dynamic leader, it was almost too late. “I found myself left behind and always felt like I was playing catch up.” Only those who lead by example and are willing to give everything for the cause and those under his command will succeed in that environment. Jason felt he needed to prove his leadership.
In 2007, Jason was leading his troop in a mission against a key Al Qaida commander. As the SEALs patrolled the thicket, enemy fighters were hiding in the brush. A gunfight ensued with bullets spraying around the men. A flurry of bullets streaked past Jason; one of them struck him in the left arm. When Jason realized he had been hit, he tried to put a tourniquet on the wound. As Jason was tending to his arm, the enemy released another round of bullets and one of them struck Jason in the face. The bullet entered the right side of his face, took off his nose, most of his cheekbone and broke most of the bones around his eyes. Jason never got the tourniquet on and was bleeding out. “I thought, This is it,” says Jason. “I could feel the life leaving me. It felt like someone put a 10,000 pound concrete block on top of me and I couldn’t move.” He thought about his family especially how he wanted to get back to his wife and watch his kids grow up. “I called out to God, Hey give me strength to go home,” says Jason. “In that moment, I felt like I suddenly had energy.” Jason got up with one of his teammates and walked to the waiting medevac.
A NEW MISSION
Jason made it home but faced years of grueling recovery. In the immediate days that followed, Jason felt his spirits sag. He fought to stay positive. Once when family members were visiting, they thought Jason was asleep. Instead, he was awake and heard their conversation. They were full of pity. “Their words had that woe is us quality that warriors despise,” says Jason. So he wrote a sign on orange poster board warning any visitors entering his room to do so without sorrow. As he began healing and getting around more, Jason realized people were staring at him as he walked through the streets. Many he talked to assumed he had been in a car wreck. “We’d been at war for six years, and not one single person considered that these grievous wounds could have been inflicted on the battlefields as we fought to preserve their freedom,” says Jason. As he traveled to Chicago for reconstructive facial surgery, Jason greeted everyone who stared at him with a resounding “Boo!” By the end of the trip, Jason knew he needed to do something different, so he went online and designed a t-shirt that read: “Stop Staring, I Got Shot By a Machine Gun. It Would Have Killed You.” He placed an American flag on it and called it Wounded Wear. Designing shirts gave Jason something positive to focus his energy on during recovery. Today Wounded Wear helps mitigate the effects of trauma and helps warriors find purpose through programs and opportunities that increase confidence, provide networking and direction, and offer balance and tranquility. Wounded Wear provides clothing modifications to those who have lost limbs in combat. They also honor families of the fallen through various Wounded Wear events included Toast to the Heroes and Jumping for a Purpose.
The Trident is the Navy SEAL emblem and the only insignia in the military where the eagle bows his head. “When I was younger, I was too young and immature to even see it much less understand it,” says Jason. Now I fully understand.” He has felt the pain of loss as he tacked his Trident into his fellow SEAL caskets. “To me, the Trident is a symbol of ultimate sacrifice. Since 2007, Jason has undergone 37 reconstructive surgeries.
Jason grew up in a Christian home; his dad was an elder and they were always in church. When he joined SEAL team, Jason believed there was no room for God in their squadrons. “We are a rambunctious group. We poke holes in everything,” says Jason. “It was a lie, an excuse to not hold myself to a higher standard.” He admits he was a terrible Christian and used that excuse to live without a conscience. “Truth is, I never stopped believing,” says Jason. Today Jason’s faith is much stronger. “I always like to know how things work,” says Jason. “You can tell me something, but I want to know why that is and how it is. Faith is the opposite of that. You have to believe it because it is.” All of his life, Jason wanted a sign from God. “I believe a miracle occurred that night. I asked for a sign my whole life and I get this one.”
Jason is rebranding the mission of Wounded Wear in March 2015. “We are expanding to four pillars: Pride, Power, Purpose and Peace,” he says.
1. Pride: through the clothing, Wounded Wear hopes to instill pride in those who have been wounded and directly impacted by war through the use of modified clothing.
2. Power: we want the warriors to move past their injury and loss, which is accomplished through Jumping for a Purpose (where Wounded Wear takes the warriors on skydiving jumps). “Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy life,” says Jason. “You can overcome fear and do things that are uncomfortable.”
3. Purpose: everyone needs purpose. The military gives people purpose, but when that military job ends, many things go away, like camaraderie. “A lot of guys struggle with that,” says Jason. Wounded Wear provides job education and housing assistance.
4. Peace: Wounded Wear pushes for non-pharmaceutical remedies that heal. For example Wounded Wear helps many warriors get the help they need for invisible injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
For more information, please visit: www.WoundedWear.org
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