08/30/2026
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Jason C. Redman entered the United States Navy on September 11, 1992. He became a Navy SEAL and spent about 11 years serving as an enlisted SEAL before receiving a commission as a Naval Special Warfare officer in May 2004. Two years later, in May 2006, he graduated from the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School.
Before receiving his commission, Redman also attended Old Dominion University, where he studied business administration and served as battalion commander of the Hampton Roads Naval ROTC Consortium. In 2004, while still a student, he helped organize the university's six-day Run for Freedom, which honored American military personnel lost during the War on Terror and raised more than $27,000 for organizations supporting their families.
In 2007, Redman deployed to Iraq. On September 13, 2007, he was serving as an Assault Force Commander during an operation targeting a high-value al-Qaeda individual when his SEAL assault team came under heavy machine-gun and small-arms fire. Redman and two of his teammates were wounded in the ensuing firefight.
Redman's wounds were devastating. He was shot twice in the arm and once through the face, while additional rounds struck his helmet, night-vision equipment, body armor, and weapon. Despite the intensity of the attack and the casualties suffered by the team, Redman states that the SEALs fought their way through the engagement and that everyone on the team ultimately returned home alive.
He was evacuated and eventually taken to Bethesda Naval Medical Center, where an extraordinarily difficult recovery began. The Gary Sinise Foundation documents that Redman endured 37 surgeries while medical teams worked to reconstruct the damage caused by his battlefield wounds.
During that recovery, Redman created one of the most memorable symbols associated with his story. He hung a bright orange handwritten sign on his hospital-room door expressing his determination to recover and rejecting an atmosphere of pity. The sign subsequently received national attention and became closely associated with his message about overcoming catastrophic adversity.
Recovery did not mean the immediate end of Redman's military service. He remained connected to active service following his injuries and ultimately completed a 21-year Navy career. His service included years as both an enlisted Navy SEAL and a commissioned Naval Special Warfare officer, making the period after his devastating wounds another significant part of his military story.
After his military career, Redman became heavily involved in supporting wounded service members and their families. He founded the nonprofit Wounded Wear and later became an author, speaker, and advocate focused on leadership, resilience, wounded warriors, and overcoming adversity.
His published books include The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader and Overcome: Crush Adversity with the Leadership Techniques of America's Toughest Warriors. His public work has continued to draw directly from his experiences in Naval Special Warfare, combat, catastrophic injury, and recovery.
Jason Redman's story is therefore not simply about surviving a gunshot wound. It is the documented story of a Navy SEAL officer who was struck repeatedly during a violent firefight in Iraq, survived a gunshot through the face, endured 37 surgeries, and continued forward after an injury that permanently changed his appearance and his life.
The scars visible today tell only part of that story.
Behind them is more than two decades of naval service, a battlefield ambush survived, dozens of operations endured, and a military career that continued after injuries that could easily have ended it.
Lieutenant Jason C. Redman survived the battlefield and refused to allow September 13, 2007, to become the final chapter of his service. ๐บ๐ธ
This true story is based on historical records. This post is for educational purposes.
