Veteran Who Was Shot 13 Times In Iraq War Walks Across Stage At His College Graduation

May 08, 2019 by apost team

There are many reasons why people struggle to complete their college education.

Financial problems aside, many people decide to take a break from college for various reasons and often find it difficult to fully get back into the college mindset after they have spent time away from an educational atmosphere.

This was the case for one man who almost didn’t graduate from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) because he made a few simple mistakes. He almost didn’t get his diploma simply because he didn’t fill out the right forms and found himself unable to locate the specific office that he needed to submit the forms in order to receive his diploma.

If this sounds stressful, Jay Strobino, the man in question, has clearly had far worse times behind him: 

He is a combat veteran of the war in Iraq and by all accounts, it is practically a miracle that he is even alive, much less being able to graduate.

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Jay Strobino was deployed to Iraq in 2006 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. His unit’s goal was to seek out and apprehend a high-profile individual who was found to be supplying the rebel forces with various good and funding.

While the operation was planned with the utmost precision, enemy combatants were hiding in wait for Strobino and his fellow soldiers.The troops were ambushed and Strobino was shot 13 times by an insurgent with the rebel forces.

Strobino not only lived through the attack, but he is able to remember parts of it in vivid detail. He remembers being shot and then he remembers the insurgent coming back, as he told FOX17:

“He came back around and he shot me again, and right before he shot me again I was like, ‘this is it.’ That was it, all I could do was roll over and take the brunt of it again.”

Strobino was shot through his femur, lung and neck. However, the soldier survived and made it back home to undergo a year of physical therapy to regain mobility. He managed to maintain a positive attitude during the recovery process, focusing on transitioning from military life to achieving academic success that would allow him to have a successful civilian career.

He proudly walked across the stage to receive his diploma for majoring in exercise science and minoring in biology.

"The sky isn't even the limit. You can push past that like there is no limit," he told WMSV.

How strong of a spirit must Jay Strobino have to keep his positive attitude during rehabilitation while simultaneously finishing his college degree? Stories like this are incredibly inspirational and we’d love to hear your thoughts about it.