A Bad Day....Perspective

One of the things I enjoy about our RV trips is meeting new people.?Last weekend, while packing up from our Memorial Day trip, I ran into Jerry. ??While out walking Charley, our goldendoodle, Jerry and I exchanged morning pleasantries.??We talked about our “rigs”, where we both live, and of course our pets.?During the conversation, Jerry mentioned that he needed to downside his camper because it was getting just a little too tough to handle the larger one with just one arm.?I didn’t focus on that too much because it would seem rude to pry.? At some point he asked me if I was in the military, and I said “no”.?I told him I work for #Trellix a cyber security company.?He said then I work at protecting the country in a different manner.?At this point, I felt comfortable enough to ask if his arm, and obvious burns were a result of a war wound.?Jerry then told me his story.?

Jerry was injured in Iraq when an IED exploded his vehicle.?The explosion ejected one soldier from the vehicle, killed two more soldiers seated in the back, and left Jerry with severe internal wounds as well as burns over nearly 40% of his body, and 100% of his face.??The ensuing firefight left him exposed to enemy fire for more than an hour before he could be rescued, during which he was shot 4 times.?At this point I was thinking that if I ever thought I was having a bad day, I should think about Jerry and his story. But he wasn’t finished.

After finally being pulled from the battlefield, Jerry began the long road to recovery.?During this recovery, he learned that his wife had left him and took all his money with her. ?At this point he was critically wounded, suffering Post Traumatic Stress, and financially ruined.??And then something amazing happened….

Jerry met a woman (Mary-Ella), a VA nurse that loved him…and the two have since married.?He found a job with a financial services company that has a division devoted to hiring Veterans.?Having no prior experience in finance, they trained him, licensed him and put him to work.?Jerry said that job saved his life.?

I was literally moved to tears.?I asked him if there were any charities that specialize in Veterans’ Causes that I could contribute to in honor of his sacrifice and service. ??He mentioned several but the one he recommended was #CreatiVets in Nashville, whose mission is to empower wounded veterans to heal through the arts and music. ?With 3 boys in Nashville, 2 in the music business, it seems almost serendipitous that he would mention that particular charity.??I will make a significant contribution to CreatiVets to thank Jerry for sharing his story and do what I can to help the countless other Veterans who serve our Country.?If you are so inclined, I would encourage you all to consider doing the same.??