The Different Path

The library is honored to host Veteran Jacob Norotsky of Wounded Warrior Project for a revealing and candid talk about his wartime experience and the hard journey back to a regular life.

In the Army, during his second deployment to Iraq in 2007, Jacob was the crew chief on a Blackhawk helicopter, flying almost a thousand hours during that tour and seeing combat day after day. During one mission, his aircraft was hit 36 times. Following his return home, he soon experienced PTSD and even suicidal thoughts.

Luckily, he found help and support through sharing his story with audiences around the country, turning his experiences into a platform to change people’s minds on mental health and how to cope when life puts you on a different path.

*Refreshments will be provided*

Bio:

Jake Norotsky grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, the son of a Vietnam veteran and pastor. He’d always been interested in music, but when his father committed suicide while he was in tenth grade, Jake was pulled to follow a different path. “My dad had a legacy, as we called it, and I always felt like I needed to continue that in some way, to continue serving others,” says Jake. “It seemed like going into the military was the best way to do that.”

When not traveling on behalf of Wounded Warrior Project, Jake can be found on the football field of a small military academy in Alabama, coaching and mentoring high school athletes. When asked what success looks like, Jake just points to his boys and says: “Just win your today.”