Jerry White

When I heard Jerry White tell his story it changed how I saw the world. I realized that one individual has the power to make a difference in the lives of people in need from all over the world, from all different backgrounds. Jerry’s near-death experience and fight for recovery made him stronger and more compassionate than he had thought possible.

Jerry’s story began on April 12, 1984.  At that time he was a college student at Brown University spending a year abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He and two friends, David and Fritz, were hiking in the Golan Heights near the Lebanese boarder. Suddenly Jerry realized that the earth around him had opened up - he had stepped on a landmine. He and his friends had inadvertently entered a marked minefield.

Jerry’s friends picked him up, all 195 pounds. He was bleeding heavily from his left leg while his lower right leg was visibly torn apart. They chose to walk in the direction of a kibbutz in the distance. The path was steep and rocky and his friends were aware that there might be another landmine along the way. After an exhausting trek past the security fence, David, a premed student, decided to stay with Jerry while Fritz decided to run for help. After an hour Fritz returned with an Israeli that he had flagged down on the road. David, Fritz, and the Israeli carried Jerry out of the minefield on a stretcher. They were careful to follow the path Fritz had taken just an hour before. 

The devotion and courage of Jerry’s friends on that fateful day would prove to be the first of many inspirational actions he was to witness over the course of his long recovery. This blog is dedicated to all of the individuals who have supported landmine survivors through their donations, legislative action, and publicity efforts.