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 USMC Major Justin Constantine
George C. Lang Courage Award Recipient
 April 2011 - USMC Major Justin Constantine received the Wounded Warrior Project 2011 George C. Lang Award for Courage
. . .
which is the WWP's highest award given to a wounded warrior who demonstrates remarkable courage and service to their fellow warriors.
Learn about Major Constantine's heroic action that resulted in his combat
injuries . . . and his gracious, heartfelt words in his acceptance of the George
C. Lang Award for Courage...
Video is no longer available.
It happened in October 2006. Justin Constantine was on
combat patrol near Habbaniyah, halfway between Fallujah and Ramadi,
Iraq. The sniper's bullet hit him behind his left ear.
"The
corpsman on patrol saved my life. Without his rescue breathing and
emergency tracheotomy, I would have died right there. The lance corporal
rushed me through the war zone, risking his own life, to get me to the
aid station."
Justin was immediately treated at the field
hospitals at Al Taqaddum Airbase and Balad Air Base in Iraq. Afterward,
he spent four days at Germany's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and
almost five weeks at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
According to Justin, he is about 75 percent recovered and now receives
treatment at Johns Hopkins University.
But it has never stopped
Justin's will to live and thrive. He credits a quote from Winston
Churchill as one of his inspirations.
"Never, never, never, give
up."
Justin is certainly living those words. He runs two small
businesses, tries to get in as much golf as he can, and especially
enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Dahlia.
"She
constantly encourages me and provided great comfort during some really
rough times. She was pursuing her Ph.D. at Cambridge University in
England when I was shot. We weren't married at the time, but she dropped
out of her program to be with me in the hospital."
With Dahlia's
help -- the person he calls "the perfect woman for me" -- Justin says he
concentrates on looking forward, not about the day he was shot.
About The George C. Lang Award for Courage
The George C. Lang Award for Courage was founded in memory of
George C. Lang, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and friend of Wounded
Warrior Project. George passed away on March 16, 2005.
This award is
bestowed upon an individual who best exemplifies the spirit and virtue of Mr.
Lang, who was a humble, yet unyielding behind-the-scenes advocate for all
veterans -- especially those with disabilities. Although he shunned the
spotlight, preferring to work on behalf of his fellow veterans in anonymity,
George's service both during and after the Vietnam War merited public acclaim
and recognition.
While he shied away from public attention, he never stopped
supporting his brethren, his fellow veterans. George took time to visit wounded
soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, hoping these young men and women
would draw strength from his experiences in adjusting to and living with a
combat-related disability. George C. Lang epitomized what it meant to be a
wounded warrior, broken in body but not in spirit, soldiering on in support of
his fellow service members. |
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