Jerry Majetich, Veteran Initiatives
Ellis “Jerry” Majetich is a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, and longtime Veterans advocate whose military career spanned more than 19 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army.
On October 29, 2005, while serving in Iraq as a Psychological Operations Tactical Team Leader, Majetich was critically wounded when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device and he came under enemy fire. He sustained burns over 37 percent of his body, including burns to 100 percent of his face and scalp, a traumatic brain injury, multiple gunshot wounds, spinal fractures, devastating injuries to both hands and his right upper extremity, as well as significant internal injuries. The burns resulted in the loss of both ears and his nose.
Majetich spent nearly two years in and out of military medical care and has since undergone well over 100 surgeries and procedures related to his combat injuries. While hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center, he received the Purple Heart from President George W. Bush.
In 2020, after years of attempts to preserve function in his severely injured dominant right arm, Majetich underwent a right transradial amputation and became the first upper-extremity recipient of the Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) procedure, an advanced surgical approach designed to improve prosthetic control and proprioceptive feedback.
Majetich has devoted much of his post-military life to advocating for and supporting other wounded Veterans. He has returned to Iraq with Operation Proper Exit, participated in Veteran employment and recovery initiatives, and shared his experience nationally to raise awareness of the long-term needs of severely wounded service members. His story has also highlighted the important role community organizations, including CreatiVets, can play in recovery beyond traditional medical care.
Majetich joined Drexel Hamilton in 2010 and today serves as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Veteran Initiatives, where his military experience, leadership, and commitment to the Veteran community continue to inform his work. He and his wife, Mary-Ella, live in Northeast Florida and remain actively involved in Veteran advocacy.
FAVORITE VETERAN CHARITIES: