Wounded Naperville Vet To Run Chicago Half Marathon

NAPERVILLE, IL — When Joe Geraci joined the U.S. Army in 2008, he wasn't like most of his fellow soldiers. Most of them were fresh out of high school, ready to be in the top shape of their lives. Geraci, on the other hand, was 30—ancient in the world of privates in the Army, but joined due to difficulty finding a job amid the recession.

He held is own, but the 12-year age gap, and a particular rocket blast in Afghanistan, made his life especially difficult. Now, after years of struggling with the limitations of his physical injuries, he's about to run the half-marathon in Chicago on Sunday.

In the Army, he started out all right. The Army's Physical Readiness Test (PRT) includes a two-mile run, and soldiers race against the clock for a perfect score. "I literally hate running," he said in an interview with Patch. Regardless, Geraci consistently got top marks on the run, finishing the two-mile course in under 13:18.

Geraci's military service did a number on his physical and mental health. For one, the non-stop ruck marches with several dozens of pounds on his back, as well as all of the running, damaged his back over time.

Then, on a November afternoon in 2009, on a base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, his life changed. He was pulling the night shift on post, so he was usually sleeping in the early afternoon. A rocket, fired by insurgents, hit the base. "It knocked me out of bed," he said. He fell about six feet, landed on his head, and the fall separated his shoulder.

He didn't even notice his head injury. Later, a fellow soldier did. "There's literally fluid coming out of your brain," his buddy said. The injury caused mental problems, like issues with memory and cognition. He casually said "It's tough to remember appointments."

After he came home from his year-long deployment, Geraci understandably had problems conforming to the Army's physical standards. His back and shoulder injuries inhibited his ability to run, march, hike and do push ups. Despite his injuries, he was able to rise to the rank of staff sergeant through his almost ten years of service.

After a long process, he was finally medically discharged in 2017. His injuries made it too difficult for him to do physical training, a staple in the Army, so they let him go.

“I didn’t want my career to end in the military. I wanted to serve another 10 years. I was medically separated due to these physical issues, and because of other brain injury-related issues,” he said.

The GI Bill paid for Geraci to attend North Central College. The Student Veterans Association there did wonders, he said. "They've helped so much," when it comes to the paperwork and processing of a GI Bill veteran attending college, as well as generally offering support. He's studying to be a history teacher, but eventually wants to go to law school.

"NCC has been absolutely amazing," he said. Overall support for veterans has "come a long way since the generations before us."

Though his injuries have caused him immense stress and angst, he's fully capable of seeing the silver lining. "It gets you to think outside the box, and to count your blessings. Living under constant stress, and you come back to civilian life and you’re able to put everything in perspective… these injuries get you to think a different way and appreciate what you do have," he said.

"A lot of people around the world are in worse situations," Geraci said, adding that many in his military brethren have worse injuries than he does. "I wouldn’t trade the past 10 years of my life for anything," he said. "Unfortunately it worked out a lot worse for a lot of people."

Geraci got out of the Army in 2017. In February, he could barely run a mile. His injuries left him out of shape. At 6-feet, he weighed 260 pounds. Today, he's close to weighing in at under 230 pounds, and is running like crazy. He's ready for the half-marathon on Sunday.

Article image: Geraci as a Private First Class in Afghanistan, courtesy of Joe Geraci