Induction Video
(Written: July 2018)
A former two-way player, team captain and four-year letter winner in football and 2011 graduate of UW-La Crosse. Upon graduation, Jason L. Church was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and following completion of Army Ranger School, Army Airborne School and Stryker Leader Course was deployed as a platoon leader to Afghanistan.
On August 23, 2012, Second Lieutenant Church was injured in an IED explosion that resulted in the loss of both legs below the knee. After undergoing 21 surgeries and a prolonged recovery, Church has received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UW-La Crosse. He has earned a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University (D.C.) and law degree from UW-Madison.
On November 10, 2012, at his request and less than three months after he sustained his injuries, Jason’s purple heart was awarded by his father (a US Army colonel) at a UW-La Crosse home football game. He was medically retired from the US Army with the rank of Captain and was the 2014 Recipient of the NCAA Inspiration Award. He resides in Madison, Wis.