Disabled Veteran To Successful Entrepreneur: How John Patricio Has Overcome the Obstacles of Post-Service Life

In August 2022, 4.9 million (27%) of all veterans had a service-related disability. While most of this group can still access employment opportunities and live normally, transitioning back to civilian life is difficult for every veteran. In John Patricio's case, leaving the military wasn't his choice. After contracting a fungal infection shortly after his deployment in Desert Storm, John's life completely changed. He became a disabled veteran, suffering from debilitating headaches and PTSD. But after overcoming his struggles, John eventually opened his IT staffing company and is interested in giving back to the disabled veteran community.

During John's time in high school he joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, which influenced his decision to join the Marines.

Once John committed to joining the Marines, he had to take the ASVAB placement test. Even after John had multiple job options from this test, he was determined to join the infantry. John started at the lowest rank but worked relentlessly to become a sergeant.

Throughout his seven years in the Marines, John traveled around the world. He spent time in Okinawa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Fuji, the Philippines, and Hawaii before being deployed to the Middle East. John's End of Active Service (EAS) was scheduled for January 1991; however, the date was involuntarily extended for Desert Storm. John deployed and participated in the ground offensive for the liberation of Kuwait. After returning from Desert Storm, John decided to stay in the Marines and reenlisted in September 1991. Although John still wanted to be an infantryman, he had to choose another career path. Choosing computer repair helped him in the future as John's company would specialize in Information Technology (IT).

In 1992, John discovered he had developed a fungal infection in his lungs which disseminated into meningitis. The new symptoms were now interfering with John's daily activities. Soon after, The Marine Corps declared him non-deployable because of his chronic disease. John was eventually medically retired from the Marines, then reintegrated into civilian life.

In 1995, John's condition worsened significantly, which caused him to undergo six brain surgeries in only four months. Thankfully these operations stabilized his health for the next three years. But in 1998, another issue resurfaced. John was having issues walking due to CSF fluid pooling around his thoracic spine. Placement of a spinal shunt and rehabilitation solved this problem, but John's healthy life was again cut short 20 years later.

In 2018, John had issues walking again. An MRI found that CSF was pooling near the spinal shunt, compressing his spine. The neurosurgeon performed an exploratory thoracic laminectomy and found scar tissue blocking the spinal shunt placed in 1998. He was bound to recover, but that didn't happen. After two more surgeries, multiple falls and ER visits, John was forced to accept that his legs would stop functioning, and the inevitable happened in October 2021.

John was grieving the loss of his healthy body and spent most of his time at home. His wife's consistent support was the only thing that pushed him through that dark time. John later discovered VA sponsored activities and met many men and women with similar struggles. These programs helped him find opportunities to be active and enjoy life regardless of his condition. Through these outlets, John became interested in the Paralympics and had plans to start other recreational hobbies.

During John's civilian life, he founded a business in 2011. Patricio Systems provides IT and project management staffing solutions for state & local and federal government agencies. Starting the company was a struggle because of John's mental and physical health fluctuations. In addition to his chronic fungal infection, John often experienced PTSD flashbacks and triggers.

"During Desert Storm, I saw things most humans shouldn't see, which caused PTSD symptoms and extreme guilt. I was conflicted by my responsibilities as a Marine and my morals because I had to see people on both sides experience immense pain. That made me think I was a bad person, which almost derailed my entire life, but a close friend was able to change my perspective. I was able to dedicate more time to my profession including Patricio Systems and become a positive influence for everyone I encountered," says John Patricio.

While John's military service was both positive and negative, the entire experience helped him build transferable skills for real life and entrepreneurship. Without his struggles, he would never have opened Patricio Systems. He wouldn't be planning to open a nonprofit for disabled veterans either. Overall, John is grateful for his experiences and is working hard to give disabled veterans the support they need to lead fulfilling lives.