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My Story

One of the greatest challenges since I came home is learning how to live independently and recuperating in a life without vision.

Currently, I am a spokesperson for a guide dog school, Southeastern Guide Dogs, which has started the Paws for Patriots program. We are providing guide dogs for those visually impaired in Afghanistan and Iraq. I will be starting school in August. I have been traveling quite a bit, and I am constantly changing my daily routine. One of the greatest challenges since I came home is learning how to live independently and recuperating in a life without vision. As for the future, I would like to finish school and I am looking forward to working again.

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Michael Jernigan

Marine Corporal

Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL (currently lives in Arlington, VA)

Age: 28

Date of Injury: 8/22/2004

Hospital: National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MA

Unit: Weapons Platoon, Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines

Date deployed to Iraq: March 2nd, 2004

Location of Injury: Outskirts of Mahmudiyah (between Baghdad and Kuwait)

List of Injuries: Loss of both eyes (resulting in blindness), loss of frontal cranium (forehead area - ear-to-ear, eyebrow to top of head), loss of bone structure that supports the brain (brain now sits on titanium mesh), fractured left cheek bone (titanium plate to stabilize), frontal lobe bruising, severed left femoral artery, fractured left patella (kneecap), Right hand damage (little finger mostly severed and reattached, loss of knuckles (between hand and fingers, the hand was crushed from the explosion)