Photo By Josephine Carlson | Justin 'J.P.' Lane and his wife, Crystal, watch the BCT graduation ceremony for 1st...... read more read more
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“We have a special guest for you and a special treat for you here this morning,” Lt. Col. Larry Steward, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment commander, said as he greeted his unit’s trainees following morning physical training June 23. “I want to introduce our special guest. His name is Justin P Lane, "J.P." Lane for short. He's a proven warrior, he enlisted in the military in 2008. And as you can see he is a double amputee.”
A part of the Army-wide Holistic Outreach and Engagement Campaign, retired Spc. Justin Lane, (J.P.) is touring TRADOC units and sharing his story. Lane joined the Army as a combat engineer at the age of 20 in 2008. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, where he performed route clearance, searching for improvised explosive devices.
“I was blown up three separate times, and the third one got me,” Lane said.
Lane was on a mission, July 2, 2011, when his vehicle was blown up by a 200lb roadside bomb. It was the first roadside bomb to penetrate an RG31 Mine-Protected Vehicle.
Lane suffered 26 injuries, including losing both legs, his right arm and pelvis snapped in half. He lost his four front teeth, and everything in his torso was destroyed by shrapnel except for his heart and left lung. He was in a coma for six weeks and had 28 surgeries. “This completely changed my life,” Lane said.
“Doctors said I wasn’t going to be able to do many things, like use prosthetics because my legs were so badly damaged,” Lane said. “Also, that I wouldn’t be able to speak properly or sing ever again because of a tracheotomy. With each day, I am proving them wrong.”
Lane spoke candidly with the trainees of 2-39, “I'm not gonna lie, you guys are family. And I'll tell you the truth. I almost took my life 12 times. A dozen times I would look in the mirror and see somebody I didn't want to be dealing with the rest of my life … But one of the things that the Army taught me was never give up, never surrender … no matter what we may face, we're strong enough to handle anything.”
Lane gives credit to his wife Crystal for being a huge support in his life.
“I was blessed to have found someone who not only loves me for me, but also supports my career and my passion of singing,” he added. “Crystal, now my beautiful bride as of February 2018, has been a huge support for me and given my life more purpose. We now work together inspiring couples around us, telling them the amazing story of what brought us together.”
He also says his faith is the reason for everything he does.
“My faith is the only reason I have strength to do what I do,” he said, “… my prosthetics are not comfortable, they’re painful every single day … My faith is the thing that gives me strength, and helps me realize that my mind is a powerful thing and some days I'm going to have bad days where my mind will try to convince me that I'm not worth being, that this is too hard and life is too hard. But what kicks in is my faith to give me the purpose, and that strength and that reminder that I'm here for a reason that I do have a purpose that I can overcome anything.”
Besides being a motivational speaker, Lane is also a recording artist, and performed at the inaugurations for both President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump.
Along with the trainees of 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, Lane’s visit to Fort Jackson also included students at the Chaplain School, Soldier Support Institute, and the 1st Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment graduation ceremony.
Lane and his wife enjoyed their visit to Fort Jackson. “The professionalism that Fort Jackson shows on a daily basis was beyond expectations. It's always an amazing opportunity to witness trainees become U.S. Army Soldiers. We can't wait to come back.” Lane said.
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2021 16:11 |
| Story ID: | 400248 |
| Location: | SC, US |
| Web Views: | 226 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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