Jerry DeVaul

When Jerry talks about that day in the mine, he explains it in this calm, honest way that sticks with you. What stands out most isn’t just what happened to him, it’s how he responded in the exact moment everything changed. He relied on instincts built from past experiences, knowing exactly what to do, even while he was the one severely injured. At the same time, he prayed, asking God for strength, guidance, and the courage to keep fighting. Instead of panicking, he stayed focused. Instead of giving up, he led the people around him. The steady way he explains it now only makes his resilience and his faith that much more powerful.

Jerry served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Years later, while working in a coal mine, everything shifted. A large machine struck him from behind, instantly amputating one leg and crushing the other beneath thousands of pounds. The mine was freezing, yet he remembers it feeling like “someone was pouring hot water on my legs”. He checked the tiny pocket watch he always carried, watching minutes stretch into what felt like hours. Nearly two hours passed before help reached him. His injuries would ultimately lead to the loss of both legs above the knee. Deep underground, as he fought to stay conscious, he made a promise ,“God if you spare my life, I’ll show people I’m not living with a disability”.

Recovery was long and painful. He faced surgeries, years of prescription pill dependency, and the emotional weight of adjusting to a new life. But his turning point came through adaptive sports, especially sled hockey. This is where he rebuilt strength, identity, and community. Through this world, he was introduced to Freedom Mobility Foundation.

Mobility had been one of Jerry’s biggest challenges. He often missed events and opportunities simply because he didn’t have reliable, adapted transportation. Hand controls were expensive, and rental car accommodations rarely worked out. “You can plan everything perfectly,” he said, “and still end up with no vehicle because they gave your hand-controlled car away.” It wasn’t his effort or motivation holding him back, it was access.

That changed when Freedom Mobility Foundation stepped in and helped provide a Dodge RAM adapted for his needs. He also received portable Quick Sticks hand controls that he could carry with him. “Now, if I rent a vehicle and they don’t have hand controls, I can just slap mine on and go,” he shared. Later, he received a Ford Explorer Sport, and Freedom Mobility funded the installation of permanent hand controls, something he never realized would cost thousands of dollars. That Explorer quickly became the backbone of his life. It allowed him to take his boys to school, to attend the gym six days a week, to pull sled hockey equipment across Colorado, and to stay active in his community through the winter months. It's also the vehicle that carried him through the season he was nominated for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award.“Without that vehicle,” he said, “I never would’ve been able to do any of that.”

Most recently, Jerry received a Coyote, a four wheeled vehicle, opening up a whole new kind of independence. He rides it across his dad’s ranch with his boys and their grandpa, checking fences and exploring land he once could only look at from afar. He’s taken it through snow, over rough terrain, and into open spaces he thought he might never reach again.

The impact of this equipment extends far beyond Jerry. His dedication to physical fitness, now possible because he can reliably get to the gym, has become part of his family’s rhythm. His boys join him in workouts and challenge themselves, inspired by the consistency they see in him. His wife can commute confidently in her own vehicle, while Jerry handles school drop-offs, practices, appointments, and community commitments without hesitation. Independence is no longer a struggle, it’s a part of everyday life.

One moment captures exactly why mobility matters so much to him. At a sled hockey clinic in Denver, Jerry used his adapted vehicle to haul a trailer full of equipment for children with disabilities. Two former professional hockey players joined him and spent the day pushing kids across the ice. Many of the children rarely experienced that kind of freedom or joy. Jerry recalled hearing a mother whisper, “I haven’t seen my child smile in ten years.” That moment made everything clear, the equipment he received didn’t just change his life; it helped create moments of joy for families who rarely get them.

Jerry now pays that blessing forward. He actively nominates other veterans for support, including women veterans who he believes deserve far more recognition for their service. “They served their country the same way I did,” he said, “and they should get the same respect.”

When Jerry talks about donors and sponsors, he speaks with clarity. Their support gives veterans mobility, and mobility gives them their lives back. It means showing up for their kids, their communities, their teams, and their futures. “It’s not charity,” he said. “It’s giving someone their freedom back.”

Jerry’s story isn’t defined by what happened in that mine. It’s defined by who he became afterward. And thanks to Freedom Mobility Foundation, his world is wider, safer, and full of opportunities he once thought were lost. He uses that freedom exactly the way he promised he would, by lifting others every chance he gets.