Meet Sergeant Jacob De La Garza — 2012 Wounded Veteran
Jacob De La Garza is a 30 year old Marine Sergeant, husband and father of two children.
The initial dog (Ayla) is being donated by Heather and Doug Wilson from Broomeacres Kennels in Merville, Canada. The next dog is being donated by Cheyboo Shepherds owned by Janice and Mike Wright in Massachusetts.
He was born in Edinburg, Texas in 1982. After graduating from Edinburg High School in Edinburg, Texas, he entered the Marine Corps in October 2003, and was assigned to San Diego, California for Boot Camp. After boot camp he went to SOI (School of Infantry) in Camp Pendleton, California. Upon graduation he was stationed down the street in Camp Horno with 3/1 (3rd Battalion 1st Marine Division) Lima Company 1st Platoon.
While with the 3/1, he did three combat tours in Iraq which included the battle of Fallujah. In 2008 he received orders to Quantico, Virginia to be a CI (combat instructor) at the Basic School. There he trained countless officers in the basics of infantry for two years. Although guaranteed a three year contract, he requested to deploy a year early to get back in the fight.
In 2010, he received orders to 1/5 (1st Battalion 5th Marines) Alpha Company 3rd Platoon. He became 1st squad leader of the platoon and began training his Marines for combat. In March of 2011, they were deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan.
On May 21, 2011, while conducting a foot patrol, an IED detonated beneath him. As the Corpsman, Doc Winberry, was treating him a grenade landed near them. Though severely wounded, he grabbed the Doc, laid on top of him so the Doc would be protected.
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Immediately following the explosion, with his squad continuing to receive enemy fire, he began to maneuver his teams towards the enemy. Simultaneously the Lieutenant called in the helicopter gunship. As the enemy noticed they were going to be eliminated, they dropped their weapons and surrendered.
A medevac came in and flew him to the nearest hospital. Within five days he was in Balboa Hospital, California. His Left foot was held by just 2 rods and was hollow. The right leg had a 6 inch laceration but no bones were broken. His family met him as he arrived in the California hospital: his two brothers (Javier and Julian De La Garza), mother (Anita De Leon), wife (Priscilla De La Garza) and his two children (Jauden and Braelynn De La Garza). The doctors gave him the decision to try to salvage the leg and be in pain for the rest of your life and not be able to walk correctly or amputate the leg and be walking in just over a month. That decision came easy for him: he had his leg amputated below the knee.
Currently he is preparing for his third Hand Cycling Marathon (scheduled to take place in October of 2012) and the week after that he is running in the 10K Marathon in Washington D.C. He will be attending college in South Texas and is interested in Law Enforcement.
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Jeff Anderson
CEO/Founder, Rebuilding Warriors
