Mondays are typically days off for me. There is usually less to do in the world of wedding photography so I get to stay home and watch movies, play video games, order food and generally don’t shower. However, with less than 4 months till go time my life has been thrown into a frenetic sprint from place to place to place to try and get details sewn up, make connections, fund raise, organize, plan, and get this bike trip/ documentary film into existence. On days like this there is a cup of coffee in the morning and a meal at night and if I’m lucky a snickers in between. (Speaking of which I should reach out to Mars Candy Company as a potential sponsor). Today I got an email from Jason Simms. Jason was a Marine for 9 years and this is what he wrote: 

A bit about myself, I was in the Marine Corps for 9 years and on July 1 2004 I was hit by an IED during the first Battle for Fallujah.  I suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns, shrapnel tore through my legs and I was also shot 3 times by an AK-47 as I was trying to escape my burning vehicle.  I was one of the original members of the Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Lejeune when Lt Col Maxwell started the unit back in 2005.  I also have pictures of my vehicle about 30 seconds after I climbed out and also have pictures of my burns when I was in the hospital.  My face was completely burnt when I was injured but since then it has healed very well, and you can’t even tell I was burnt on my face now.  I only had to get skin grafts done to my hands.

He is interested in being a part of mine and my dad’s project because he wants his sons to know what his dad did and saw when they get old enough to hear about it. We want to have him as a part of our project because we want the citizens of the United States to know.

When I hear stories like this it is reenforcement this project is valid and worthwhile. It’s a reminder that there are no words that will ever be enough to thank Jason for going and putting himself in the position to do the things he’s done and see the things he’s seen, but I’ll be damned if I don’t do something about it.

Regardless of what your feelings on the wars are/were - justified or not - guys like Jason would have still been there to fight in it. It’s not about the wars it’s about the warriors. So help me carry a message from the 99% to the 1% that we - Americans - cares what happens to our soldiers. We stand beside them, in front of them and behind them. 

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