Born in a small town south east of Columbia, Ohio, Jason Redman joined the Navy Sept. 11, 1992. He continued his long family history of military service.
Redman spent two years working as an intelligence specialist. Afterward, he completed Basic Underwater Demolition Training (BUD/S) to become a SEAL.
After graduating in December 1995, Redman completed three deployments in South America, where he served on multiple counter-narcotic missions throughout Peru and Columbia.
Redman graduated Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, receiving a bachelor of science in business management. In May 2004, Redman commissioned as a SEAL officer, later completing deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Sept. 13, 2007, while on a mission to capture a high-value Al-Qaeda operative outside Fallujah, Iraq, Redman and his team came under heavy machine gun fire. Redman received a critical wound from a gunshot wound to the face. He and his team survived the attack and returned home. While recovering from his injuries at then-Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, Redman posted a bright orange sign on his door to discourage people from showing him pity. The handwritten sign garnered national attention and became a symbol for wounded service members throughout the country.
In November 2013, after 21 years of military service, Redman retired as a lieutenant. He received numerous medals and decorations, including a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal.
Redman founded multiple nonprofits to for service members and families. In a 2019 interview with the American Veteran Center, Redman said that he was fighting the war at home by expanding his work to help Veterans find their purpose when transitioning back to civilian life.
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