Never try to tell a Marine they can’t accomplish something. After volunteering for the course, Marine Corps Staff Sargent Adam Jacks is the first amputee to graduate from the Marine Combat Instructor of Water Survival (MCIWS) course.
Jacks lost most of his right leg while serving in Afghanistan and, after months of evaluations, returned to active duty. He is now the company gunnery sergeant for Headquarters and Service Company at The Basic School.
After speaking with the course’s lead instructor, Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Marshall, Jacks volunteered for the three week course and worked with Marshall to develop a buoyant prosthetic leg for swimming. Course graduates, including Jacks, swam a total of 59 miles.
We were not going to lower the standard. We were going to work with him to help him reach it. – Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Marshall, chief instructor trainer
Jacks is now a certified MCIWS instructor and ARC life guard, and he is one of several amputee service members making the news. Congratulations, Marine!