A Marine's journey from battle injury to employment in home community

Abstract

After surviving a severe brain injury from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) blast and working daily to reclaim his life, one of the military's finest was ready to pursue community employment. At 27-years-old, he completed an 8-year-long, comprehensive traumatic brain injury rehabilitation program by making an autobiographical documentary. The documentary served as a stepping stone for his community employment as well as a means to encourage others to keep working toward their goals. He is now successfully employed, on a part-time basis, with a local retailer, in his home community. This paper outlines the progression from initial concept to a completed documentary. It tracks his experiences and accomplishments through years of rehabilitation therapy, through making an autobiographical documentary, to bridging a transition from his identity as a rehabilitation patient to a working member of his home community.