Tank commander and retired gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch makes it clear to everyone he meets he is a proud Marine.
After serving in Operation Desert Storm and the Iraq war, transitioning back to a civilian life was difficult - especially after suffering injuries forcing him to retire from active duty.
Even though Popaditch went through trials as a wounded veteran, he found his experience could serve as inspiration to others in and out of the military.
Popaditch spoke Wednesday night at the American Legion Highland Post 180 while on a tour to promote his new book "Once A Marine." Savas Beatie published and released the book in September, according to the book's promotional Web site. Popaditch co-wrote the book with Mike Steere.
Although his book describes his life as a Marine and a member of a tank crew in Iraq, the larger part describes the recovery process he went through after being injured on the battlefield.
Popaditch, who was born in East Chicago and grew up in Hammond, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when he turned 18.
In April 2004, during a battle in Fallujah, Iraq, Popaditch was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade and suffered head injuries leaving him legally blind and deaf. He returned to the U.S. two weeks later, saying the surgery and the rehabilitation process was one of the hardest experiences in his life. Popaditch lost his right eye and has 8 percent vision in his left eye. He also struggles with his sense of smell.
He was awarded the Silver Star.
After the surgery, Popaditch was placed in an office job with the Marines, but he admitted he wasn't good at it because of the injuries he suffered.
"I couldn't read, I couldn't write and I couldn't get back in a tank," Popaditch said.
Popaditch, whose nickname was "Gunny," often refers to the importance of maintaining a "positive mental attitude" and said it helped him get through a lot of difficult times. During the recovery, he said he began to mentally withdraw from the "Semper Fi," or "Always Faithful" code because he couldn't participate in the same training or fighting activities as his comrades. It took awhile before he could accept his condition, he said.
After serving as a drill instructor, platoon sergeant and being in combat, Popaditch said he wanted to be a teacher. The one problem was Popaditch said the only Ph.D. he had was a "plain high school diploma."
Once the surgery was finished, Popaditch knew it was time to continue training except he would be relearning simple skills. One of those was relearning how to read. So Popaditch studied hard using assistive technology such as vision enhancements so over a three-month period, he could relearn to read at a sixth-grade speed.
With the confidence garnered from the rehabilitation, he enrolled in a community college and then moved on to San Diego State University.
Even though he was an older student compared to many at the university, he found that many are socially aware and don't take the opportunities they have for granted.
"That's what I fight for, so that these kids can go to school and the war can be a million miles away," Popaditch said.
Popaditch, who now resides in San Diego, is studying to be a teacher. He was proud to say he was a junior majoring in social science with a 3.9 grade point average.
"How many people get to start a new career at 40," Popaditch said.
Don Shults, service officer for the First District of the American Legion, helped organize the Highland post event and said Popaditch was doing a great deed in highlighting the struggles many veterans face.
"I have nothing but the highest regard for him," Shults said.
Popaditch has been married to his wife April for 18 years and they have a 15-year-old son. He will be in Hammond on Friday at 6 p.m. at the American Legion Hammond Victory Post 168, 721 State St., and will have his books on sale for $25.
