CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — With the holiday season in full swing, many are sharing what they are thankful for.

One veteran reflects on a fund that helped and inspired him after he was injured during his time overseas.

Veteran Jason Smith was wounded during his time serving in Afghanistan.

Veteran, Jason Smith, reflects on his time overseas and how Semper Fi & America’s Fund helped him along the way.

“I was in the military, in the Army as an infantry man and I got hurt in 2012. Lost both my legs,” Smith said.

When it was hard to find the light, he turned to fitness for a form of therapy.

“For me, I’ve always wanted to open up a gym and fitness is really big for me. It helped me stay off of a lot of other vices that were detrimental to my health. When I got hurt, I really just dove hard into the gym, because I was into it before. And that really kept me gravitating towards the light and not the dark. And I just want to open up something other people can go to and also have healthy outlets for stressors and stuff as well,” Smith said.

With the help of Semper Fi & America’s Fund, he was able to achieve some of his fitness goals.

“Semper Fi & America’s Fund really tries to help the veteran financially and also with support. Adaptive equipment is pretty expensive as far as gym equipment or zero-turn mowers. Or anything that you really need. It’s hard to do everything that you need to do in a wheelchair. And they kind of bridge that gap financially and with support, they really just help bring a community together of like-minded veterans that are still trying to thrive and have the best version of their life they can have,” Smith added.

Smith’s dream is to open his own gym to inspire other veterans and foster hope within the greater Chattanooga community.

During the season of thanks, he looks forward to making this dream come true and inspiring others who have entered hard times.

“The Fund stepped in around 2013-2014 and assessed my needs. They were there to help me and everywhere life has taken me, they’ve been there as well,” Smith shared.