Ever since Jerry Cortinas was seriously injured in the line of duty, his wife Celina has helped him slowly readjust to civilian life.
Originally aired on September 3rd, 2008
Topic: Transition to Civilian Life After Medical Discharge – War Scar – Chapter 2
Jerry Cortinas
Army Veteran
Celina Cortinas
Army Wife
Brenda Kecskes
Assistant National Service Director
Disabled American Veterans
Jerry Cortinas
Jerry Cortinas served as a Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces from 1997 to 2004. The focused and challenging work of a Green Beret was what he knew and what he loved. While operating a rocket propelled grenade in Afghanistan in December 2002, the device malfunctioned and exploded, taking his left forearm and hand. Jerry could no longer do his job. He felt like an outsider in his own hometown. And every day, as a husband and father of two girls, he was reminded of his limitations. Until, that is, he got on a snowboard.
Celina Cortinas
Celina Cortinas, Army wife and mother of two, was baking Christmas cookies in her Brownsville, Texas home when she got the call. The colonel on the other line gave her the news. Her husband of 12 years, Jerry, had been injured in Afghanistan. As a wife of an Army Special Forces soldier, she always knew it could happen, but wasn’t prepared for how much her life would change when her husband returned home with his right hand and forearm amputated. She would now face the challenge of helping her husband adapt to civilian life and supporting him as he returned to his role as husband and father.
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