‘Semper Fi & America’s Fund’ offers financial and emotional help to America’s veterans
USMC veteran and double amputee Josh Bleill shares how the organization helped him after his military service.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
An Army veteran told Fox News Digital he is here today due to his unwavering faith in God.
JP Lane, a Purple Heart veteran as well as an author, singer and speaker based in San Antonio, Texas, endured the worst after he faced serious injuries while he was deployed in Afghanistan in 2010.
While covering ground clearance, which involved searching for explosives, Lane was blown up three separate times, he shared in an interview.
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But on July 2, 2011, Lane’s third and final encounter with an explosive would change his life forever.
"Ultimately, it was the first truck of mine … to be penetrated by an IED," he said.
Lane shared he first decided to join the military as a middle schooler after watching the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
"And when it went through my vehicle, it actually amputated both of my legs, snapped my left femur in half, my pelvis snapped in half, dislocated my spine and my pelvis, and my right arm snapped in half 90 degrees."
He went on, "My right middle finger was amputated immediately. But that's OK. Nobody needs that finger anyway," he said jokingly.
"And everything inside my torso was destroyed except for my heart and my left lung."
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Lane was immediately airlifted to the hospital — where he was "having a hard time staying alive."
Eventually, he was transferred back to the U.S. to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. A month and a half later, he woke up from a coma.
The destroyed RG-31 vehicle caught in the IED blast in Afghanistan with JP Lane is pictured here. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
Upon waking up and realizing both of his legs were gone, Lane questioned what his life had in store for him.
"I didn't know what was next," he said. "It was very difficult to wake up and to see that I no longer would be able to enjoy the things that I used to be able to do, like play drums, run, wakeboard or snowboard — you name it."
He added, "Everything that I used to enjoy with my legs was now an impossible feat."
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This realization took a toll on Lane’s mental health, as he faced his new diagnosis of PTSD, he said.
He said he struggled with the prospect of finding love as "half a dude" after he separated from his wife at the time.
Lane is shown in the hospital after he suffered severe injuries after being blown up by an IED in Afghanistan in July 2011. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
"How am I going to get up and start living life with joy and happiness if I’m literally deteriorating day by day mentally?" he said he wondered back then.
These negative thoughts were so incessant that the veteran said he attempted to take his own life 12 separate times.
"Most of those attempts were in the Fisher House, when I was by myself going through therapy and seeing everybody else with their family members and trying to get through it," he said.
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"But they weren't happy with their situations, either," he added. "Everybody was in pain all the time, and it was just very, very difficult."
After his 12th suicide attempt, Lane had a realization that he could not fight the battle alone.
"It was a roller coaster ride of emotions," Lane said. "But I relied on my faith and my family and my battle buddies to encourage me and give me the strength to get through all of it." (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
"That's when I started to rely on my faith to get me through it all," he said. "Because as strong as I thought I was, mentally and physically … I realized that I wasn't strong enough to do this on my own."
Added Lane, "I had to reach out and rely on something stronger than myself, which is why I went back to my faith in God, [which gave] me the strength to get through it all, allowing me to have real joy in the darkest moments of my life."
Lane said his faith in God has enabled him to find "real joy in the darkest moments."
Lane said he is "very grateful" for his ability to rely on his faith to achieve physical and mental recovery, which became apparent to other soldiers.
He said the best remedy for other soldiers, and even civilians, who are struggling with mental health is to connect with others.
JP Lane holds up a T-shirt with the saying, "Nice try Taliban," while on a visit to Afghanistan in 2018. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
"I didn’t do this by myself," he said.
After his final suicide attempt, Lane said a thought popped into his head that made him "so glad" he didn’t take his own life.
"That thought was, ‘Do we go to a war zone with just one soldier?’" he said.
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"Well, obviously not. One soldier can't handle a battle," he went on. "So why would I go through a mental war zone with just one soldier? It doesn't make any sense … We're not designed and made to be on this earth and live life by ourselves. We have to reach out."
For Lane, that outreach included getting involved with the nonprofit organization Semper Fi & America’s Fund, which graciously provided the soldier with what he needed.
Semper Fi & America's Fund provided $4.8 million in basic needs assistance to combat-wounded veterans in 2022. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
"I knew that was an organization that I could call on whenever I needed any assistance or help," he said. "They’re [like] family members, ready to be there."
He said further, "It's literally one of the best organizations on the planet."
Since overcoming his internal struggle, Lane went on to find great success in multiple facets of his new life.
After learning how to walk again with prosthetic legs, Lane set the record for the fastest double amputee to be in and out of therapy — finishing in only six months.
"It was definitely motivation to get out and start living and enjoying life again," he said.
JP Lane is pictured with his wife, Crystal, on the couple's wedding day in February 2018. Today, Lane has a hefty following on TikTok, as more than 840,000 people tune in to his content about his life as a double amputee and a loving husband. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
Lane has since pursued his career in music and has performed at the inaugurations of both President Obama and President Trump.
Aside from performing and public speaking, Lane has grown a hefty following on TikTok, with more than 840,000 people tuning in to his content about life as a double amputee and a loving husband.
"I turned to God, and I was like, ‘Hey, I'm done with this. It's your turn to handle it.'"
He hopes that his videos inspire people to "never give up and never surrender," he said.
"My wife and I know that this is a very dark world that we live in," he said. "And we just want to continue to be the light in a very dark situation."
"We just have a good time doing it, too, because it provides that other source of purpose to continue to be here and help others get through whatever they're going through," Lane added.
Veterans Affairs data indicates that vets are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide than civilians — with an average of 17 veteran suicide deaths per day in the U.S.
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As National Suicide Prevention Month puts a spotlight on these numbers, Lane suggests one way to remedy these jarring rates is to trust in a higher good.
"I turned to God, and I was like, ‘Hey, I'm done with this. It's your turn to handle it,’" he said.
JP Lane performed the National Anthem at a Spurs game in San Antonio, Texas, on April 20, 2019. (Semper Fi & America's Fund)
"And He literally took my whole entire life and flipped it and changed for the better, and I am so grateful that I didn't rely on my own strength, because I was not able to handle this."
Said Lane, "Legs or no legs, I still have a purpose on this earth, just like each and every one of you has a purpose on this earth."
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"And when you have that connection with God, for Him to remind you of that purpose, it becomes a whole lot easier to mentally overcome the difficult things that come your way."
