We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jonathon “Jack-Jack” Benjamin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jonathon “Jack-Jack”, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My name is Jonathon “Jack-Jack” Benjamin and, before anything else, I am a proud veteran of the US Air Force. I joined the military after my academic scholarship ran out—changed my major a few times. I served for 3 years as an avionics technician, maintaining the B-1Bombers. I loved my job, but felt an overwhelming sense of obligation to deploy and serve overseas. I never got to deploy, but I did get a special duty assignment to England in 2013. It was there, a few months into my tour, that I was in a near-fatal motor vehicle accident. I wasn’t supposed to survive. I was in various hospitals around the world, recovering from a severe traumatic brain injury before the Air Force medically retired me in 2015. In those 2 years of recovery, I saw countless other veterans recovering from their own traumas and trying, like me, to find some sense of a “new normal.” My experiences took a dark and debilitating turn when my biological parents, the “biologicals,” showed their true colors. As I recovered, I began to come to myself more and I soon realized that they, the biologicals, were focused, not on my care and recovery, but on the financial benefits of being a caregiver for a wounded veteran. The whole, heartbreaking saga is spelled out in my book, but my mission in writing this memoir isn’t to glorify myself or to exact revenge on the people who, before anything else, should have been there to support me. I first learned of the epidemic of veteran suicide when I was training with the Warriors Games team for the Air Force in 2017. I got a call that summer about one of our teammates having taken his life. That loss inspired the first iteration of my story, American Airman. I turned my focus toward and drew inspiration from the many men and women who are sacrificing for our nation and come home with wounds, both visible and not. I want more than anything else to inspire them to live a life free from their trauma, free beyond their diagnosis and empowered to advocate on their own or to seek those advocating for their rights and privileges that they’ve rightfully earned.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well, there’s a whole book about me and who I am and I’ve never shied away from my story. One of the most unbelievably proud moments for me is when I first heard about my book affecting civilians, people outside of the military experience and mostly sheltered from the world outside of America. It was remarkable and eye opening to hear how the story—one I wrote because of and specifically for the veteran community—was inspiring hope and perseverance in the civilian world. I never really thought of the universal message that the book has and how it can be received by virtually anyone who has experienced adversity, trauma or drastic changes in life. The main thing that I want my readers to know is that you’re not alone. Your trauma can not and does not define who you are. While, yes, you may never be the same again, there are doors and opportunities available to you that, in some ways, never would have opened up for you otherwise. Before I was stationed overseas, I envisioned a life for me that is so far from what it is, now. I would never have imagined this bor would I have come as far in my life, had my trauma not happened. I was in a toxic and repetitive cycle of abuse and being taken advantage of that would still be going on had I not gotten into that accident. I remember being told early on that I wasn’t supposed to survive the night that I was admitted to the hospital in England. Then, when I survived, I wasn’t supposed to be able to walk again. As free retirement, my mental health became a concern and I didn’t think that I would be able to get into a university, let alone finish my degree. However, all those things I have accomplished and all those things are what pushed me to not just achieve, but exceed my goals and dreams. Now, I’m a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, a published author, an award-winning playwright and an impassioned advocate for wounded veterans. My mission is my readers, civilians and veterans, alike.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part about my art, message and mission is that I can tangibly witness the power of my work and the inspiration behind my story. It has turned people’s lives onto a positive trajectory, inspired to despondent and encouraged the hopeless.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My social media presence is there, but, I admit, I’m not all too “hip with the hoppers” when it comes to the trends and hashtags. I do have a facebook, an instagram, a TikTok and an NPX profile to market my work.

* Facebook (author page): https://www.facebook.com/JonathonBenjaminAuthor
* Facebook (book page): https://www.facebook.com/AmericanAirmanBook?mibextid=LQQJ4d
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/jonathonbenjamin
* NPX: https://newplayexchange.org/jonathon-benjamin
* Instagram: @jackcodybenjamin
* Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jack-jack2022
* Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22727674.Jonathon_Benjamin
* Books Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jonathon-benjamin
* Nonfiction Authors Association: https://nonfictionauthorsassociation.com/directory/39210/jonathon-benjamin/
* Audio publisher’s association: https://audiopub.site-ym.com/member/WordsbyJack-Jack

Contact Info:

• Website: JonathonBenjaim.com
• Instagram: @jackcodybenjamin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonathonBenjaminAuthor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/jonathonbenjamin
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/zdgeeImEL4A

Image Credits
Brendan Kownacki & Arpit Mehta