HM2 Derek McGinnis

Derek was injured in Fallujah, Iraq in November of 2004, during Phantom Fury. He was a Corpsman attached to 3rd LAR out of 29 Palms, California. His ambulance was hit by a suicide driver (VBIED) and the explosion left him with a Traumatic Brain Injury, shrapnel in his right eye, and the loss of his left leg above the knee.

Derek spent two years in recovery rehabilitating at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital. He was medically separated from the Navy in July 2007. “The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund helped my family when I was unconscious and helpless. I am very grateful to them,” wrote Derek during his board process.

Derek attended college and graduated with a BS in Business Health Care Administration. He joined our volunteer team at the VA hospital in Palo Alto where he works with Dr. Donald Barker, a retired Navy Corpsman.

In his “spare time,” Derek has taken up running. He runs at least three miles, three times a week and alternates swimming a mile in between. He has competed in several 10K and 10 mile races including the Marine Corps Marathon 10K as a part of the IMSFF Team, raising over $4,000 for the Fund. He said, “I have been training hard to do this run as a way to give back to the injured and wounded. When I train, I am motivated through the difficulty knowing that it is for a worthwhile cause. I am humbled knowing that some of the injured will never be able to run again. I am still able to run and believe I should use the talents I have left in a positive way”.

Derek has a wife, Andrea, and two sons. His first son, Sean was born at Bethesda Naval Hospital a few months after Derek was injured. Derek says, "I was grateful to have been there for his birth at Bethesda Naval Hospital. We were all patients together there as a family and I would have missed his birth if I hadn't become injured. That led me to believe that blessings can come from tragedies." Derek has triumphed over tragedy and was doubly blessed by the birth of his second son, Ryan. The McGinnis family resides in Northern California, where they enjoy outdoor time together. Derek is currently working for the Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Division and participates with Team Semper Fi as well as other community running events.

Derek and his family are featured in the Modesto Bee article, "Life Shattered in Iraq Pieced Back Together”.