Corporal Adrian Simone

Our son Adrian made the choice to serve his country as a United States Marine following his high school graduation. He was deployed to Afghanistan following his training. On August 24,2011, at age 19, Adrian was gravely wounded by an IED and medivacked from the battlefield, eventually being transferred to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, MD. Adrian lost both legs in the explosion.

Wounded

At WRNMMC, Adrian underwent a total of 10 surgeries before his legs were infection-free and the wounds could be closed. He was hospitalized for six weeks, during which time at least one of us was always by his side. Our son is a true Marine; his positive spirit inspired everyone who met him.

Purple Heart

Adrian was awarded the Purple Heart by Marine Corps Commandant James Amos.

Out-Patient

In mid-October, Adrian finally left the hospital and transferred to the out-patient facility to begin his true recovery back to full health. He began working with physical therapist Gregory Loomis and the WWNMMC prosthetics team, training with his new legs for hours every day. His recovery advanced at record speed. Adrian's motivation never flagged: all he wanted was to get better so he could rejoin his unit, Marines 1/6 Bravo Company.

Kira Helps her Brother

Our daughter Kira joined Adrian in his out-patient quarters to be his "NMA" - Non-Medical Assistant - until he regained his independence. Kira gave up a year of college so she could be there for the baby brother she has always loved. Kira continued her education here in NJ after her brother regained his independence. She graduated with honors from Rutgers University and currently works as a mechanical engineer. Our family is overjoyed that in a few months Kira and her husband Sean will welcome their first child.

Back to Camp Lejeune

Finally, in March 2012, Adrian was transferred back to his unit, recently returned from their Afghanistan deployment to their home base at Camp Lejeune. He remained with his unit until August 2012, when he opted for a medical retirement and returned to his NJ farm home for a few brief weeks before leaving for college. Adrian received a meritorious promotion to Corporal in June 2012 and is the recipient of multiple awards, including Marine of the Quarter.

Corporal Adrian Simone attended college in New York state for two years before returning to complete his education in his home state of NJ. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in History from Montclair State University and is working on his M.A. in Education from the same institution. He worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Long Hill, NJ school system before beginning his final student teaching requirements to become certified. He’s teaching history at a Newark high school and loving every minute of it.

The Semper Fi Fund

It is a proven fact that wounded servicemen and women recover far more quickly and have fewer complications when their family is there for them. But it is very difficult for most of us to just drop our lives, leave for another state, and stay there for months or perhaps even years. In the Simone family, both parents are small business owners and normally work at least 6 days/week - often more.

The Semper Fi Fund made it possible for us to be with Adrian much more than we otherwise could have, and still keep Gooserock Farm and Vienna Piano going. This wonderful organization paid for all travel expenses going back and forth between Bethesda and New Jersey, as well as providing regular grants that enabled us to pay for extra help feeding bees, and reimbursed us for income lost when we were at our son's side and not tending the piano shop and the farm. Our home community has been wonderfully supportive and raised money to make our home wheelchair accessible for the times Adrian is unable to use his prosthetic legs (skin infections, bone growths). But if we had been short on funds, Semper Fi would have helped with this, too.

We can’t say enough for Semper Fi and its staff. If you believe in supporting our troops and their families, please consider donating. It's easy to make a donation right from their webpage, and it’s 100% tax-deductible.