Cpl. Jeremy VoelsUS Army

    Nashville

    Jeremy’s story, as with so many, is heart-wrenching. He enlisted in the Army at age 19 and after training, was assigned to Bravo Company at Fort Campbell, KY. He married in 2009 and had two children before he was deployed to Afghanistan in July, 2010. On September 15, 2010, while on duty, he was struck by sniper fire that entered his lower back and exited his upper chest. This changed Jeremy’s life forever.

    When the 7.62 mm round entered Jeremy’s lower back, it hit his vertebra, causing it to shatter bone fragments, hitting every organ in his body except his heart. Jeremy was paralyzed from the waist down.

    Jeremy was flown to Jalalabad, then to Germany where doctors fought to save his life. His family was called to Germany and stayed with him until he was able to be flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. While there, he endured over 100 surgeries in a 3 month period in attempt to reconstruct the abdominal wall. It was finally decided he should be sent to the spinal rehabilitation center in Tampa and return to Walter Reed for reconstruction of his abdominal wall later.

    Jeremy did very well in Tampa and was recovering from his surgeries. He even began to move his feet. Jeremy was able to move into his own apartment with his wife and two children. But then the day came for Jeremy to return to Walter Reed for reconstruction of his abdominal wall. It is here that the miraculous progress Jeremy made deteriorated. In an effort to ease the severe pain caused by the swelling of his organs after 14 hours of surgery, the doctors insisted on an upper epidural. Finally, two weeks later, at the insistence of Jeremy, they removed the epidural, leaving Jeremy paralyzed, now from the chest down. This was the catalyst that was the downturn from which he has been unable to recover.

    He and his wife separated and Jeremy was sent back to the Tampa VA spinal cord rehabilitation center in October, 2012. He remained there until August 8, 2014.

    He had to have over one-hundred surgeries and unfortunately never fully recovered from his injuries. In May 2021 Jeremy passed away, but his legacy and bravery as a true Hero will continue to live on.

    Keep up with Jeremy

    We have been trying for sometime to get Jeremy admitted to the wonderful VA nursing home in Clarksville which is only 20 minutes from his parents’ home.  Thanks to our Tennessee Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, Many-Bears Grinder, Jeremy is now there and doing so well.  It is a state  of the art facility with all […]

    Read more

    WSMV Channel 4 NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – What happens to veterans severely injured in combat after the parades and welcome home parties end? The idea that they are forgotten is exactly what one Nashville couple is working hard to prevent. Marine Jeremy Voels has been in a hospital bed in Nashville since 2010. He was 20 […]

    Read more