AL ASAD, Iraq -- On Sep. 20, 2004, Lance Cpl. Jacob P. Schick was one of many activated Reserves serving in Iraq with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, then based out of Al Asad.

During a vehicle movement a few kilometers from the base, the front left tire of Schick’s Humvee struck a mine. Lance Cpl. David A. Woods, emerged unscathed from the front passenger seat of the destroyed vehicle, while Lance Cpl. David R. Tisdale was thrown from the rear and walked away stunned from the explosion with a blown eardrum.

Schick—the driver—wasn’t so lucky, but the quick and skillful response by his fellow Marines and Navy corpsmen helped save his life.

He suffered multiple injuries to his left arm and left leg from the blast. He also lost his left pinky finger and later, his right foot had to be amputated after he was medically evacuated from the scene to a hospital in Baghdad.

Promoted to corporal in December 2004, Schick so far has endured 23 reconstructive surgeries along his road to recovery since the mine strike incident.

The past four months for Schick have taken him from military hospitals in Landstuhl, Germany, to Bethesda, Md., and now closer to family and friends at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

For Schick, the hardest part of his healing process has been being away from his fellow Bossier City, La., based Marines with “Bravo.”

“Jacob talks to people in his unit about once every week or two,” said his cousin Heather Bullock, recalling Schick’s words typed to her from his hospital room at BAMC. “He always gets really pumped and it makes him very happy to hear from them. He can't wait to see them. His goal is to be up and walking by the time they all come home.”

Originally a native of Bossier City, La., Schick moved to Texas before high school.

Before joining the Marine Corps in 2002, Schick was a talented football player at Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. His coach, Eric Jones, recently made a surprise hospital visit with Schick’s newly retired number ‘51’ jersey that he wore while playing for the school’s ‘Cowboys.’

“He turned down college football scholarships to join the Marines,” said Lance Cpl. Matt Raley, weapons platoon, “Bravo” Co., and a Shreveport, La., native who has been best friends with Schick since grade school. “He isn’t the kind of guy to work a desk job and he isn’t the kind of guy to let his injury stop him from accomplishing whatever he wants to do. He is the most motivated person I know.”

Nicknamed ‘Schickalicious’ by friends for a ladies’ man reputation, the real Schick is a down-to-earth American and a clean cut, selfless Marine with a lot of spirit.

“When he was promoted to corporal, his grandfather ‘pinned’ him and when they presented him with his Purple Heart medal he said he wouldn’t accept it until his fellow Marines came home,” said Raley.

Over Christmas, Schick said he plans to be standing tall as soon as his fellow 1/23 Marines get off the bus.

“Come hell or high water I will look everyone of them in the eye,” said Schick in a Christmas message on a website created in his honor. “I will never forget the brothers that I have made throughout my time in the Corps with 1/23. All of them deserve the exact same treatment since my coming home, in fact, they deserve twice as much.”

Schick, who has recently been able to ‘stand’

on a temporary prosthesis, has received a

wealth of support from people all over the country and the Corps through letters, emails and phone calls, said Bullock who manages www.jacobschick.org.

While in the hospital he has had many visitors in addition to immediate family and friends. Marines from around the Corps have delivered an outpouring of support, including his fellow 1/23 Marines and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. William L. Nyland, who met Schick in Bethesda before he transferred to BAMC.

For one visitor, meeting Schick during an afternoon at BAMC was a moving experience.

“I know Jake has a lot of challenges ahead of him, but more importantly, I know he has the mettle and the grit to overcome any challenge that he may face,” said Tim Phillips, the brother of Schick’s former platoon commander, Capt. Matthew Phillips, who was also wounded while in Iraq. “I've had the privilege and the pleasure of knowing lots of Marines, and they are all a cut above. However, there is only one (Cpl.) Jacob Schick and I'm a better man for having had the opportunity and honor of meeting him. Very simply, he is my hero.”

On Jan. 14, Schick took part in the dedication of a new amputee treatment center at BAMC. The center is designed specifically by the Department of Defense to address the needs of soldiers wounded in the Global War on Terror, and it is the second specifically targeted to the needs and recovery of amputees.

Although his Marine Corps future is in doubt, Schick is facing his medical battle and getting stronger every day.

Now seen cruising the hospital grounds in a wheelchair, Schick has had special people by his side during his recovery: his sister Julie, his mother Debby and his father Woody.

"I know that God has Jacob in the palm of his hand," his mom said. "I'm proud of what he has done and the country should be proud, too. Those boys believe in what they're doing. The hardest part for him will not be overcoming his physical handicap, but not being with his brothers in war."

For those that wish to correspond, please write to: Corporal Jacob Schick- 4 west, Brooke Army Medical Center, Building 3600, 3851 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200.