‘Wounded Warrior’ to speak at GCCC for Veteran’s Day observance

John Boerstler, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a noted veteran's advocate, will speak in a Veteran's Day program at 11 a.m. Nov. 9 in the auditorium of the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building at Garden City Community College.

Sponsored by GCCC, the presentation is free and open to the public.

"This is an opportunity that came up just this week, and we wanted to share what Sergeant Boerstler has to say not only with the students of GCCC, but also with the community," said Ryan Ruda, dean of student services.

Boerstler enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantryman, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant and serving in Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Djibouti, and Kenya. He earned an honorable discharge in 2007.

He sustained an injury in Iraq, leading to trauma in his right eye that required 10 days of intense treatment.

"When I was injured, I felt I was rendered ineffective," Boerstler explained. "My Marines needed me and I needed them, and even though I couldn't see, I wanted to get back out there."

Boerstler is affiliated with the Wounded Warrior Project, a national organization that serves U.S. military personnel who have been injured in service to the nation. The project focuses on honoring and empowering wounded warriors with service-connected injuries that they sustained on or after Sept. 11, 2001.