Meet Corporal Max David Gauthier — 2011 Wounded Veteran
Max David Gauthier is a 23 year old Marine Corporal, husband and father.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in June 2007, upon graduation from Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. His first assignment was with the Marine Corps Security Force Battalion (MCSFBN), Kingsbay, Georgia.
See Max's videos on our Videos page.
While there he was selected for Close Quarter Battle School and graduated at the top of his class. In December 2008, Max attended the Dynamic Entry Course, Quantico, Virginia where he learned explosive, thermal, ballistic and mechanized breaching techniques.
Successful completion of the course led him to his assignment as Team Leader and Primary Breacher for Recapture Tactics Team, (RTT), Team 3. He was later selected for the Subject matter Expert (SME) Breaching Conference, Quantico, Virginia where he assisted in the creation, development and implementation of the curriculum used in the Methods of Entry Course.
In July 2010, Max received orders to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, Camp Pendleton, California. He was the Team Leader for the Pre-deployment exercises conducted in Hawthorne and Bridgeport, CA.
He completed Scout Sniper Indoctrination and became the Scout and Primary Breacher for Scout Sniper Platoon (SSP) Team 3.
Cpl. Max Gauthier, as a member of SSP Team 3, deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan in March 2011. He engaged in Combat Operations from the Eastern Sangin "Brown Zone" to the Northern Jungle "Green Zone". He participated in Operation "Omed" an offensive push through the Green Zone to the Helmand river south of Kajaki.
During the Operation, Cpl. Gauthier and SSP Team 3 came under heavy enemy fire from six enemy emplacements. Despite the loss of Marine personnel, equipment and radio communications, the team was able to eliminate multiple enemy fighters and maneuver back to Patrol Base (PB) Faheem, located 1000 meters from the contact point.
Once there, the Team quickly refitted and returned to the battlefield, leading to the capture of several High Value Targets (HVT's). Intelligence gathered during the operation allowed Recon to kill or capture HVT's responsible for attacks and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) emplacements throughout the Green Zone.
On July 18, 2011, Max and his Team were only about 800 meters from the PB when Max struck a pressure plate IED heavily concealed under the hard-packed clay in the area. Max suffered an above the knee amputation of his right leg, and a possible amputation of his left leg. Shrapnel wounds to his legs hands and torso also became complications. The quick thinking of the tightly knit team lead to the successful rescue and evacuation of Max Gauthier and his Team Leader Sgt. Josiah Hirsch, who was also injured in the blast. Max was then fast tracked to Balboa Navy Medical Center, San Diego, California. He has undergone multiple operations to include skin grafts, reconstructive surgeries and the emplacements of metal screws and rods into his left leg to keep it together. Max is now recovering and attending physical and occupational therapy on a daily basis.
In May of 2012, Max participated in The Ride 2 Recovery, a 350 mile, 6-day ride.
Cpl. Gauthier is married to Nicole M. Gauthier and the father of three year old Sydney M. Gauthier. He was awarded The Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon for his service in Afghanistan. He is planning to attend college and is interested in maintaining occupational ties to the military.
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Jeff Anderson
CEO/Founder, Rebuilding Warriors
