Throughout my life, I have witnessed true resilience from many individuals. Probably the most impactful person to demonstrate such personal courage that I know of is Staff Sergeant Jason Gibson. Gibson and I met at Westside Church of Christ located in El Paso, Texas in 2005. I remember seeing this young Ohioan man walk through the church doors with a big smile on his face. It was a smile of someone that truly enjoyed life and brought instant joy to those that were fortunate to be in his presence. One thing that I was highly impressed with Jason about was his continued devotion to the Lord as a young GI. Typically a single, young male living in the barracks takes this opportunity to sow their wild oats. However, Gibson did not let his new scenery redefine his true character. He stayed true to the values that made him such a wonderful human being. His ‘True North’ would help him later in life to find the passion and perseverance to live life to the fullest once again.
Gibson had a desire to serve his country, so he followed in the footsteps of his grandfathers. He joined the Army on September 1, 2005, and served as a combat engineer. It wasn’t long after basic and advanced individual training that he would find himself deployed to Mosul, Iraq in 2006. This deployment would last for 15 months. He would begin his second deployment to Iraq in July 2009.
One would think two deployments for a young man would be enough for someone who had only been in the Army for four years, but Gibson would find himself going on a third deployment. This time he would be deployed to Afghanistan in March 2012. On May 30, 2012, Gibson’s life would be changed forever. While on foot patrol, he stepped on a pressure plate that triggered an improvised explosive device. Gibson remembers seeing all red and being placed on the helicopter. Once the helicopter landed in Germany he was rushed into surgery. The severity of Gibson’s injuries would keep him in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. His wife and parents were flown to Germany to say goodbye, because Gibson was not expected to hold on to life much longer. Little did the doctors know that Gibson was a fighter and God had a bigger purpose for his life. After undergoing 21 surgeries and losing both legs, Gibson would survive this horrific injury.
Gibson’s road to recovery has been a long one. He was transferred out of theater to Germany. Next he would be flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for inpatient care. He would stay at Walter Reed for several months before being transferred to Navy Medical Center San Diego to begin outpatient therapy.
The doctors, nurses, and other health care providers were essential in Gibson being able to continue on in life, but the support that he received from his wife and parents and his faith in God would give him the resilience to live life to the fullest once again. Gibson leaned on Psalm 23 to provide him the perseverance and grit to put his life back together and live it to the fullest.
Another important component to Gibson’s recovery was being able to fully enjoy nature. Having a love for nature pushed him to try a variety of outdoor activities. He has been able to enjoy cycling, which led him to compete in several marathons. While snow skiing, he can still enjoy the beautiful landscape around him, and when the weather is nice he makes sure to hit the golf course. His most recent adventure has led to him getting his pilot’s license.
Gibson shared with me how important it is for him to be able to enjoy nature and to be able to fully reflect on the beauty that God has created for us. For Gibson, these moments have brought serenity to his soul and constantly remind him of how amazing our God is.
It should be no surprise that nature and man are intertwined. God created earth, animals, and humans. He put humans in charge to oversee His great creation. Warrior Rendezvous Farm Stay is moving a little closer each day to provide this type of therapeutic environment to military veterans like Jason Gibson. When doubt starts to creep into my mindset about whether this can be completed, I remind myself of why I am doing this and who I am doing this for.
This post is in honor of Staff Sergeant Jason Gibson and all of the other true heroes in our military who have sacrificed so much for this country.
