Joint Base Lewis-McChord Military Trusted Businesses

My name is Jonathon Benjamin, USAF Ret. I grew up on JBLM when it was still just Fort Lewis and McChord AFB. I joined the Air Force after attempting college and served until getting injured overseas in England. I have since recovered, graduated from college and established myself as a writer. I wrote a memoir about growing up the son of an Army veteran and my service in the Air Force. The book is primarily about my service, getting injured and the transition back into civilian life. It was just published recently and is now on sale.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, just over 30,000 veterans have died by suicide — four times more than the number of U.S. military personnel who have died in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. My debut memoir, American Airman, is an unflinching look at one veteran’s life. Like Jake Woods’ Once a Warrior, American Airman is about a transitioning veteran channeling his pain into a new life purpose. It tells a more complete life story, from a veteran’s adolescence and enlistment in the Air Force, to a near fatal injury while serving on active-duty, and then through his difficult transition back into civilian life.