Jerrad Christian

Name: Jerrad Christian
City/State: Galena, OH
Branch of Service: Navy
Dates of Service: June 2002 – May 2007
Last Rank Held: E4
Military Occupation: ABF then AG
Current Occupation: Software Engineer
X: https://x.com/JerradChristian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerrad.christian/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerrad.christian

Jerrad outside of the military:

I’m the father of a kind, intelligent and silly young man.

I raise chickens, grow a garden, and try to leave the soil better than I found it. I grew up in the Appalachian part of Ohio, in a working-poor family that got by on community, help from neighbors, and not much else. I’ve always been into science and technology—especially the kind that helps people. I care a lot about the climate crisis, not in some abstract way, but because I’ve seen what it’s already doing to communities like the one I came from. I want to be part of the fight to fix it.

Jerrad on joining the IAVA Cavalry:

We need a unified front to move forward with agendas that actually benefit the American people and veterans.
I’m tired of seeing veterans used as props in speeches, only to be ignored when the cameras turn off and the real work begins. We hear a lot of “thank you for your service,” but what we need is action: fully funded VA care, mental health support, job training, and policies that help veterans build stable lives after service. Too many of us come home to broken systems, political games and a nation we don’t recognize. Together, we will be heard.

How the military experience affected Jerrad’s personal growth:

I got to see a world that didn’t look like the one I came from. I met people who didn’t sound like me, didn’t believe the same things I did, didn’t see the world through the same lens. That experience made me question what I thought I knew. I had to sit with the discomfort of realizing how much I’d been sheltered, how much I’d never been taught, and how easy it is to mistake familiarity for truth. I now carry a constant reminder that growth starts with shutting up and paying attention to learn something new.

IAVA’s policy priorities that are the most pressing:

As veterans, we swore an oath to the Constitution—not to a party or individual—and that oath doesn’t end when we take off the uniform. Today, democratic norms are under attack, and too many dismiss this reality or say “we were never a democracy” as if that excuses the backslide. It doesn’t.

We’re seeing growing distrust in government, extremism, and political violence. This is fueled by broken education systems, widening inequality, and a sense that our voices no longer matter. Veterans are uniquely positioned to push back against this—our service gives us both credibility and responsibility.

Democracy depends on participation, trust, knowledge and accountability. Veterans must be empowered to lead in civic life, protect voting rights, and ensure our institutions serve all Americans.

IAVA’s policy priorities with the strongest personal connection for Jerrad:

The protection of democracy and freedom. Not the performative kind politicians shout about when it’s convenient, the real thing. The right to speak up, to vote, to live free from fear and control. I think about the world my son will inherit, and I worry about what kind of country we’re leaving behind, for him, and every kid trying to grow up with some sense of fairness and hope. I don’t want him to look back and wonder why we didn’t fight harder for the American dream to survive.