Long Island native Jarrad Turner thought he would pursue a career in music after high school. Though his path to service was unexpected, his story is nothing short of extraordinary.
“I had basic combat glasses before they were basic combat glasses,” he laughed. “I played lacrosse, wrestled and played a little bit of football. I sang in a choir and I was good at debating. I was supposed to stay in New York and go to St. John’s because I got a musical scholarship. But unbeknownst to me, my parents were divorcing and I had to relocate to Alabama.”
It was a culture shock, Turner told WATM. Toward the end of his time at Alabama State University, he became a father, calling his daughter his “blessing from God.” Turner added that she slowed him down in a way he desperately needed.
“Once I graduated, I went to work at the Southern Poverty Law Center. I worked there during the church burnings and unfortunately got to see the South in a not-so-positive light,” he shared. “But during my time there, I was inspired by two gentlemen. One was an Army Ranger and the other was a MARSOC Marine. Their service inspired me to join the military myself.”
Turner enlisted in the Army in 2000 to become a medic as a way to give back and build a future for his daughter.
“Both of my parents were from small towns in Alabama, so I understood at a young age what their sacrifices were,” he shared. “A year later, it was 9/11 and the world changed. My first deployment to Iraq was 15 months.”
He was 12 months into his second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006 when a rocket-propelled grenade caused severe life-threatening wounds. Turner was medically airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, and began the first of several surgeries.
“I started this journey of healing but was still in the Army with two volumes of medical records. If you can imagine, I’m a decent-sized guy. I’m not small. I lost the dexterity to even hold a pencil or a fork in my hand,” Turner said. “Four shoulder surgeries, two elbow surgeries, two surgeries on my jaw because it got filleted open by a piece of shrapnel. Army medicine takes care of you for the physical injuries, but I didn’t recognize the mental injuries until I got out in 2010.”
During his experience seeking help from the VA, he was told by a doctor that they weren’t ready for him.
“I was the guy who was on three pages worth of medications, though that was normal back then,” Turner added. “That doctor introduced me to the Shepherd Center. The Shepherd Center is a spinal cord rehabilitation facility in Atlanta and is ranked sixth in USA Today for rehabilitation facilities. There’s a gentleman named Bernie Marcus, one of the co-founders of Home Depot. He ended up giving some seed funding to the Shepherd Center to create a traumatic brain injury program because that was a signature injury. The data told practitioners there was a wave of TBI injuries coming. The VA at that time definitely was not prepared for that wave.”
When Turner went for an assessment that determined he had a traumatic brain injury, he recalls sobbing uncontrollably at the news.
“I thought I was going to lose my mind because I had severe vertigo and saw the world from a 45-degree angle. I had constant headaches, light sensitivity and I could not sleep. I was in that whole pain cycle continuum,” he said. “I started a 16-week intensive rehabilitation program, and when I finished, I immediately tried to find a way to give back.”
A year later, Turner spent months training and was part of a group of guys that ran “leap frog” from Atlanta to the Marine Corps Memorial in D.C. Though the run was initially supposed to be in workout clothes, one of the founders had the idea of doing it with ballistic vests to really show the burden troops go through.
“I did it, and it was amazing; there was a seed planted. From there, I went to every organization you can think of to find my North Star. I wanted to define who I was going to be post-injury because I didn’t leave the Army on my terms,” Turner added.
He worked for the VA before leaving to become a National Service Officer for Disabled Veterans of America for three years. From there, he lent his talents to the Wounded Warrior Project and 9P Solutions. In 2018, after years of searching, he joined the Warrior Alliance.
His mission was to grow support for veterans struggling with TBIs and PTSD through community support initiatives and to be the tip of the spear in the fight against veteran suicide. Turner kept running and caught the notice of Under Armour, eventually hosting events with their support.
Before leaving Under Armour in August 2024 to pursue entrepreneurship, Turner was the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. This year, he launched his own business, Veterans Technology Solutions.
“We focus on data infrastructure. I kind of got my start in technology when I came back home after realizing so many of my brothers were committing suicide, so I needed to understand it because it wasn’t making sense to me. You do that with data. I want to talk to those men and women who just came from wherever they’re coming from and tell them, ‘You’re home and you don’t have to do this by yourself,’” Turner explained. “Out of the 17 brothers and sisters I’ve lost, 11 were to suicide. The only reason I am here today is because of my kids and the support I got after my service.” (Editor’s note: If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, dial 988 today and get the help you deserve)
His son recently enlisted in the Army, telling his dad he wanted to join the brotherhood and sisterhood he belongs to because it means something. As he reflects on his new chapter, Turner wants to give credit to the mentors who paved the way for him to find his why.
“Bernie Marcus sent me to his executive school of nonprofit leaders, and the other co-founder of Home Depot, Arthur Blank, sent me to his executive entrepreneurship school. I’ve been very fortunate to meet not just two billionaires, but two billionaires who focus on giving back to the community,” he shared. “Now it’s time to go forth and do more, do better with what we have—not just from the capitalist side of the house and not necessarily to be the traditional capitalist. I am an ethical capitalist.”
Turner went into detail about creating opportunities for veterans like him with disabilities.
“I have double vision. I struggle with speaking at times because of my brain injury and sometimes I can’t even walk straight. I have to hold the wall because I still see things at a 45-degree angle at times. But don’t shun me. Don’t think that I can’t. Don’t think that I don’t have the ability. Don’t think that it’s not important to me,” he implored. “I hope to put myself in a position where I can inspire others and create opportunities for others, as well as fund initiatives for others as we progress and move forward.”