A Colorful Cause

Life turned bleak after Wounded Warrior SSgt Jason “Crash” Jensen was medically discharged from the Marine Corps in 2011.

The combat illustrator and photographer had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury after his Iraq deployment in 2006.

It wasn’t until he started volunteering his graphic art skills to nonprofits that the color seeped back into his outlook and his artwork.

Jensen spends about 50 hours a week creating graphic designs free-of-charge for nonprofits, including the Wounded Warrior Regiment and Challenged Athletes of West Virginia.

“I feel like I have a purpose again, it’s phenomenal,” Jensen said.

To further Jensen’s volunteer cause, the Marine Corps Association & Foundation donated a top-of-the-line drawing graphics tablet. The Wacom-made Cintiq24HD Graphic Monitor is a large screen that allows an artist to use a specialized stylus pen to draw directly on the screen. The monitor offers better precision and a greater range of colors than Jensen’s previous equipment.

“It’s like from drawing in pencil to painting murals,” Jensen said.

Before using the new monitor, Jensen said he would have to draw, then scan his images onto the computer, then trace the illustration on the computer and finally import it into Adobe Photoshop. With the new system, however, he bypasses those first steps and instantly creates his artwork in Photoshop. He’s able to produce art in less than half the time – and use those extra hours for more volunteer projects.

“I was speechless,” Jensen said of MCA&F’s donation. “The MCA&F did a huge service for me and I think it’s phenomenal for them to be so motivated to help me to continue my support for other people.”

MCA&F Area Representative SgtMaj Adam C. Terry, USMC (Ret.) presented Jensen with the computer monitor in July at The MARINE Shop at Camp Lejeune.

“These programs are important because we can never forget the Wounded Warrior regiment and those Marines who have given life and limb for this county,” Terry said. “We make sure the MCA&F is there to help support them in any way, shape or form. Marines always take care of Marines.”

To show his gratitude, Jensen donated an autographed copy of one of this celebrated art pieces, “We Bought Your Freedom.” The artwork won first place in an art competition and hung in the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The copy is now displayed at the MCA&F offices in at MCB Quantico.  

Jenson encourages nonprofits to contact him for his designs if funds are low and graphics are needed. His past artwork can be seen at http://crashjensen.diviantart.com and he can be contacted at crashjensen@msn.com.

“This gift opened my eyes to how I can be of service,” Jensen said.

SSgt Jason “Crash” Jensen, USMC (Ret), at left, receives the computer, donated by MCAF, from the Marine Corps Association & Foundation’s East Coast Area Rep, SgtMaj Adam Terry, USMC (Ret) in front of The MARINE Shop at Camp Lejeune.  Jensen’s dog Yahtzee also appears in the photo.

From the left: Jennifer Jensen, wife of SSgt Jason Jensen, their dog Yahtzee, The MARINE Shop at Camp Lejeune Manager, Aisha Gurganus, and SgtMaj Terry pose for a picture during the presentation of the computer to SSgt Jensen.

SSgt Jensen presents SgtMaj Terry of the MCA&F with a copy of his winning art piece, “We Bought Your Freedom.”