Michael Lee Jernigan
Home Page
I am a third generation Marine and very proud of my heritage. My grandfather, Colonel Theodore J. "Ted" Willis retired from the Marine Corps in 1974, my dad, Major Michael V. Jernigan, retired from the Army in 1992, but had spent 10 years in the Marine Corps. In 2002, when I decided to enlist as a Marine, I knew that I was following a legacy started in 1946. My grandfather passed away in 1999 but my family firmly believes that his presence is what kept me alive after my injuries on August 22, 2004. I arrived in Iraq in March of 2004 and after six months in country I was struck by a road side bomb in Mahmudiyah. The bomb consisted of two 155mm artillery shells. Fifty-percent of my cranium was crushed, I lost both eyes, and sustained severe damage to my right hand and left knee. My skull was rebuilt, I received a prostetic for my right eye and due to the beauty of modern medicine, I am still standing today, with all my faculties. I was medically retired from the Marine Corps in December of 2005 as a Corporal.
I own a home in St. Petersburg, Florida, living on my own, and will hopefully be attending Georgetown University in the fall of 2007. Currently I am one of the national spokespersons for Paws for Patriots, a program started by Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc., to provide guide dogs for the visually impaired veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you would like information on this program, please click here and you will be forwarded to their website.
