U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant to Give Veterans Day Assembly Speech at Adna High School
Oct. 29—U.S. Army Special Forces Team Sergeant Jonathan Lu will be the guest speaker at Adna High School's Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 8 starting at 8:45 a.m.
Lu originally enlisted in 2003 as a combat medic and deployed to Iraq twice, but was dismayed by his own lack of training concerning the treatment of soldiers displaying behavioral health concerns.
He was encouraged by a Green Beret to apply for special forces, completed the training, became a special forces medical sergeant and deployed to Southeast Asia and Afghanistan. While on those deployments, he hypothesized that special forces soldiers were predisposed to more severe worsening health outcomes than previously believed.
During work on his master's degree in public health, he identified two interrelated yet distinct processes that led to worsening health and behavioral issues among the special forces population. He is now an advocate of behavioral health for all service members.
Lu is currently working on his doctorate in behavioral health at Arizona State University and was a 2020 recipient of the Tillman Scholar Award.
