An Army sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division, shot 13 times during a mission in Iraq, completed another rendezvous with destiny Saturday when he walked across a stage to receive his college degree, WSMV reported.
Jay Strobino, whose acts of heroism are documented in Jim Frederick's 2011 book, "Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death," earned his diploma at Middle Tennessee State University, majoring in exercise science, the television station reported.
Strobino took a bullet in the leg that snapped his femur, was shot twice in the lung and another bullet pierced his neck.
"Yeah, it's wild," Strobino told WSMV. "It's nothing short of a miracle that I'm alive let alone standing on my own legs moving my own body.
"My mind hasn't caught up. I still can't grasp it. It still feels surreal. It still feels like a dream, like this is not real, and it's wild.”
Strobino also minored in biology and said he is thinking about pursuing his master’s degree at MTSU, the television station reported. He said he wants to land a job at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs so he can help other veterans reach their post-military goals.
"The sky isn't even the limit. You can push past that, like there is no limit," Strobino told WSMV.
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