Rob Jones

Retired Marine Sergeant and Paralympic Bronze Medalist, Rob Jones’ life is synonymous with fearless perseverance. A former combat engineer with the U.S. Marines, Rob served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2008 and 2010. In 2010, he was struck and injured by a land mine, resulting in a double above-the-knee leg amputation. Despite the trauma, Rob’s incredible spirit remained intact and he set about devising a new pathway to his unchanged goal: A life filled with purpose and meaning. In the fall of 2017, Rob completed a month long, back-to-back marathon challenge, running 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 different major cities. The undertaking raised awareness and funds for wounded veteran charities, and began in London, England, on October 12, 2017. Appropriately, Jones finished the journey on November 11, 2017, Veteran’s Day, in Washington, DC. Along with providing perspective on the capabilities of all wounded veterans, Rob and his team raised over $200,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. He is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, Inc. speakers bureau.

Before setting out on his marathon challenge, Rob competed on the US Rowing national team, taking bronze in the 2012 Paralympics and placing fourth in the 2013 World Rowing Championships. On October 14, 2013 Rob began a solo supported bike ride across America which started in Bar Harbor, Maine, and ended in Camp Pendleton, California. The ride was 5,180 miles long and completed on April 13, 2014, a total of 181 days after it began. Over the course of the ride, along with his team, he raised $126,000 for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, and Ride 2 Recovery, three charities which aid wounded veterans.

Jones grew up on a farm in Virginia and, in his junior year at Virginia Tech, joined the Marine Corps Reserve as a combat engineer. He deployed to Iraq in 2008, and again to Afghanistan in 2010. During his second deployment, Jones was tasked with clearing an area with a high likelihood of containing an IED and was wounded in action. Rob was taken to National Naval Medical Center for the initial phases of his recovery, which consisted primarily of healing and closing his wounds, before he was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There, he was fitted with prosthetics and worked very hard to learn how to walk with two bionic knees. He also used the time to relearn how to do other things including riding a bicycle, running, and rowing.

After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in December 2011, Rob immediately moved to Florida to train for rowing competitions with a partner. He spent five months there, and during that time won the trunk and arms mixed double sculls trials race held by US Rowing to become the US Rowing national team for his boat class.

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