The student named by Northwest to be honored as the HEADWAE Student of the Year has not taken the traditional path to college, to say the least.

Automotive Technology major John Harrell was headed home from his second tour in Iraq when he was injured. The Marine machine gun squad leader had been selected to go out as a senior leader to show the relief battalion an observation point he was most familiar with. The group was only 200 meters from the observation post when they drove by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Shrapnel from the blast hit Harrell on the head, the back of the shoulder, and in his back. “The lights went out for a second, but then I got my rifle,” he said. “I had a piece of metal sticking three-inches into my brain. I was bleeding profusely, and I took it out and the bleeding stopped. I wasn’t sure if I would live through it. It was all I could do to remain conscious,” Harrell said.
Harrell’s journey to Iraq would bring him home with a Purple Heart and several other military awards, and give him a new direction in life. What had begun as a part-time job during college, would now become his chosen course of study at a new college, and ultimately will lead him to a new career.

Harrell, is originally from Faulkner, near the town of Ripley. Early in 2001, he was working in Memphis and decided a military career might be best.“I was interested in the Marine Corps and had talked to a recruiter at Northeast. I signed up, but a knee injury prevented me from going to boot camp right away, so I put it on the back burner,” Harrell said.

Then Sept. 11 happened. “9/11 changed my attitude. I thought it was something I needed to do. I was answering a call. I just wanted to  give my service for my country,” Harrell said.
After boot camp and Infantry school in San Diego, Harrell was on his way to the Middle East. He was involved in the initial invasion from the southern border and the east,and saw action leading up to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

He also served in Fallujah, one of the worst areas in Iraq. “Every time we would go out, there were lots of IEDs and mortars in the areas we were in. I had plenty of near misses while I was there,” he said.

After receiving treatment for his injuries, Harrell returned to thestates, was discharged with a medical retirement, and got married within a week. He and his wife are the parents of a daughter, Leah.

After working for himself as a handyman, he decided he wanted to return to working in the auto industry. He heard about the Chrysler College Automotive Program (CAP) at Northwest after asking around at several dealerships.
After speaking with Northwest CAP instructor, David Yount, he was accepted into the program and began attending Northwest in August 2007.

“I really like the program. Mr. Yount is a wealth of knowledge, and the Chrysler program is a good course. It keeps you busy, and you are always learning,” Harrell said.
The 2009 Higher Education Appreciation Day will take place on Feb. 26 in Jackson.

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