“Ski” Donarski

First Lieutenant “Ski” Donarski served 10-and-a-half years in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1998. On September 11, 2001, he waived his VA benefits. Then, in 2004, he re-enlisted in the United States Army. In 2005, First Lieutenant Donarski was seriously wounded during combat in Anbar Province, Iraq. He suffered from a traumatic brain injury, PTSD and a stable burst fracture in his neck and back. He lost vision in his right eye, which requires the use a prosthetic soft lens, and has had surgeries on both shoulders. After 13 months of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he was reassigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He deployed to Afghanistan again in 2009 and successfully completed his tour. First Lieutenant Donarski was accepted into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School and later commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Branch as an All-Source Intelligence Officer.  While attending Military Intelligence School, he was struck by a pick-up truck, which triggered his traumatic brain injury
and PTSD, among other injuries. After several years in various medical facilities, he was unable to return to combat and was medically discharged in August 2012.  He is the recipient of many awards and decorations for his
service, including the Purple Heart. He has two wonderful daughters, McKenzi and Maya.