Cpl Johnathan Jaskolka

San Antonio, TX

Johnathan Jaskolka grew up just outside of the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton, California. In 2009, he joined the ranks of this elite force, enlisting in the Marines as a dog handler.

On July 22, 2011, during his first combat deployment, Corporal Jaskolka was serving as a military working dog handler with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, attached to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, in Sangin District, Afghanistan when he was injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast while investigating an enemy compound. Cpl Jaskolka and his K9 Havoc were evacuated to a field hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma. His injuries included the loss of his right leg below the knee and left leg limb salvage.

He was transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital for additional surgeries and rehabilitation before continuing his recovery at Navy Medical Center Balboa in California.

Johnathan and his wife, Alina, are parents to a son, Jaxon, and a daughter, Julia. Jonathan works as a firefighter, and they enjoy fishing and camping as a family. In their current house, Jonathan has been injured repeatedly while getting in and out of the wheelchair-inaccessible shower. He also is unable to use his wheelchair to access areas of the home, limiting his mobility.

A specially adapted custom HFOT home with a single-level, open layout will allow Johnathan to move from room to room in his wheelchair and recover from a long day at the fire station on his prosthetic leg. He’s looking forward to planting a garden in the backyard with his children, and the ease and safety of accessing the entire outside of the home through hands-free automatic doors.

Johnathan is choosing to build his home in Texas to be near family, friends, and his medical team.

Johnathan would like HFOT donors and supporters to know it’s impossible to express his gratitude in words. “I can’t begin to explain the amount of gratitude I have. You are truly making an incredible difference and impact on our lives—I will be forever thankful.”

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