Paratrooper Jack DeLeuw barely survived his first motorcycle crash. But he fought his way back onto active duty and back onto the motorcycle, only to suffer another crash years later. Now his family reflects on staying at the Fisher House and competing in adaptive sports.
Story by Christy Wilcox
Photos by Craig Orsini
Jack DeLeuw dreamt of enlisting in the military since he was a child, following in the footsteps of his father, uncle, grandfather, and eldest stepbrother. As a kid, he watched the well-known movie Black Hawk Down with his dad, motivating him even more.
“I remember looking at him going, ‘That's what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be in the Army,’” Jack said.
After high school graduation, Jack left for training at Fort Benning, Georgia, later attending airborne school on September 11, 2015. His life trajectory changed less than two months later when he was in a motorcycle accident, resulting in a traumatic brain injury and two shattered forearms.
Both parents, Thom DeLeuw and Beth Smith, rushed halfway across the country to his hospital bedside. Upon their arrival, doctors told them the severity of his TBI could cost him his life.
“When we got to the hospital, he was in a coma. And so, for three days, I just laid next to him, sat next to him in his bed, rubbed his arm, and cried. I mean, it just, it was tough,” Thom said.
Jack woke from his coma three weeks after the crash. Beth said she wanted to make sure Jack had the right care in San Antonio, Texas. She spent 16 weeks at two San Antonio-area Fisher Houses while Jack was at Fort Sam Houston’s Brooke Army Medical Center and Audie Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital.
“We didn't know how long it would take, but as soon as he woke up at the hospital in Sam Houston, he started to crack jokes,” Beth said.
Beth said staff and volunteers went out of their way for them during their stay, including coordinating family visits, transportation, food, and other necessities.
“God put people in my path that made that journey so much more tolerable,” Beth said
Jack stayed at the Fisher House with his dad on weekends. Watching movies with his family helped him adjust to his new normal. He stored food in the community kitchen and socialized with other guests. Jack met an active-duty airman whose family also stayed at Fisher House. Years later, the two stay in touch.
“We became friends because we were at PTRP (Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program) and in the hospital going through similar therapy.”
When Jack completed his rehabilitation, he returned to active duty, joining the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. But Jack faced new challenges in 2020 when a driver backing out of a driveway caused Jack to swerve off the road on his motorcycle. He broke three ribs and suffered a bursting fracture of the T-7 vertebrae in his spine, resulting in complete
paralysis from his sternum down.
Jack’s dad, Thom, a 6-year Army veteran, retired from his 34-year career as a law enforcement officer to become a certified caregiver. Now that they live together, they start their day with a morning brief. From target practice to favorite hangouts and sporting activities, they keep a busy
schedule. Several days a week, Jack meets with a cycling group at Fort Bragg.
“I am there in case there is an emergency. He can do a lot of the stuff on his own,” Thom said.
When Jack made Team Army as an athlete for the 2022 Warrior Games in Orlando, Florida, Thom supported him through his events. Jack took home three bronze medals — two in rowing and another in archery.
Jack’s advice to others on a similar journey, “Don’t let others limit you as to what you want to achieve in life. You are never out of the fight, always keep pushing forward.”
