LCpl John (Jack) E. Hickey, Jr. USMC

Following his graduation from Maryland's Rising Sun High School in 2006, Jack began to explore his options to make a meaningful impact on the world. He set his sights on becoming a United States Marine. 

During his military career, Jack served in both Iraq's Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan's Operation Enduring Freedom. While in Afghanistan, Jack's battalion was involved in heavy conflict, with his platoon suffering a 50% casualty rate and the loss of all 23 vehicles originally assigned. 

On October 13, 2009, Jack suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) while positioned atop his vehicle at the gun when the vehicle encountered an IED. For this injury, and for one sustained in a separate incident, Jack earned 2 Purple Hearts during this deployment.  A year later, Jack was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and returned home to his family.

Unfortunately for Jack, as it is for far too many who bravely serve our country in times of war, the battle didn't end when he took off his uniform. For the past 7 years, Jack suffered greatly with severe PTSD, debilitating headaches, depression, and substance abuse as a result of his TBI and war-related trauma. Yet, even in his own time of need, Jack found great reward in helping fellow veterans overcome their challenges through organizations such as 22Kill and the Adaptive Training Foundation.

Sadly, on June 9, 2017, Jack lost his battle with the demons that followed him home, and we all lost a precious son, brother, comrade and friend.