Veterans honored at Chamber luncheon
Marine veteran shares his story about recovery from grievous injuries
The Texarkana Chamber of Commerce teamed up with other local organizations to honor local veterans on Thursday in the Texas A&M University-Texarkana’s Eagle Hall.
With lunch provided by McAlister’s Deli, veterans enjoyed a salute delivered to them by Hospice of Texarkana, with veterans and uniformed members of the military recognizing them with pins and certificates for their service.
The featured speaker was actor Jacob Schick, a Marine who was wounded in combat and medically retired because of his injuries received while in combat
in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is also CEO of 22Kill, an organization based around helping veterans dealing with trauma from service. It is named after the statistic released in 2012 by the Veterans’ Administration that 22 veterans a day were committing suicide — a number that has come down since.
“We just need to get the message out that it’s OK to not be OK. The strong thing to do is to ask for help, you’re not going to be able to fight through these battles alone,” Schick said. “We’re built to do this life thing together and that’s why we preach the ‘one tribe, one fight’ motto.”
Schick is a third-generation Marine, with relatives who saw action in World War II and Vietnam, so being a Marine was in his blood with a strong desire to serve. His father was not fond of the idea, having grown up hearing the stories told by these Marines. But he supported his son nonetheless.
“He wanted me to go to college and play football,” Schick said.
He was what Marines call a “Hollywood Marine,” going to boot camp at the West
Coast training depot in San Diego, as opposed to Paris Island. It’s an inner organization rivalry that goes on to this day. While he was waiting to ship for basic training, 9-11 happened, which moved up his shipping date from a few months to almost immediately.
While in training, two main thoughts kept him going
“In boot camp, I realized there was nothing special about my pain and suffering,” he said. “I looked to my left and right and realized we were all going through it together.”
The other thought was the basic guidance he got from his Marine uncle: “Be loud, be fast, don’t volunteer for anything.”
Once out of basic and infantry school, he reported to his unit, not making the greatest impression at first being two days late for his reporting time. But the Marines had things to do and the unit he hooked up with was preparing to deploy to Iraq. During his training time at Twentynine Palms, California, he saw his first Marine death — a training accident.
When deploying, he had told his family not to write or call, that he was going to go, do the job and come back. But as time went on, a feeling began coming over him, a sense of dread or doom. And when serving on a team reacting to enemy action, the vehicle he was in hit a “triple stack” antitank device, which inflicted gruesome injuries upon him. The incident involved a long period of hospitalization and cost him his left leg below the knee and partial loss of his left arm. When he was hit, his Marine bravado went out of the window.
“They have to fight for me. I’m out of the fight,” he said of his fellow Marines.
He admits he was not the best patient as he went through his recovery. He also ended up fighting drug and alcohol addictions and had thoughts of suicide. But it was a call from his family relaying the news of a Marine he knew who had committed suicide that snapped him out of it. And, eventually, he came across 22Kill and found a new way to serve.
One thing he emphasized was that it is okay to be vulnerable and wounded and that it is strength to confront your wounds honestly. That is the only way to begin to deal with them.
“My demons I fight have nothing to do with being a Marine. This is not a warrior issue. It is a human issue,” he said. “I’m tired of going to funerals and burying my friends. We are all in this thing together. And the thing to keep in mind is I only grow when I’m uncomfortable and I’m not going to be a victim to my own pride. It starts with forgiveness and realizing we only get one shot at life.”
He also credits his faith in God and the fact that he is a Christian for helping with his struggles. But he also makes it clear that 22Kill works with all who suffer, regardless of beliefs.
“We are there to help,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who you pray to or who you vote for. We are there for all who are suffering. Lean in, rely on your tribe, your family, your friends, those worth fighting and dying for.”
For more information on 22Kill and its mission, visit 22kill.com.
Sponsors of the Veterans Luncheon were Farmers Bank & Trust, AEP SWEPCO, Texarkana Aluminum, Texarkana College and Texas A&M University-Texarkana.