Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman
Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman is the Executive Director of Freedom Is Not Free, a San Diego based non-profit that provides financial assistance to wounded veterans and active duty service members and their families, and to the families of veterans who have been killed in action. LtCol Kopelman began his military career in the US Navy in1985, training to become a Naval Aviator; he transferred to the Marine Corps in 1992, where he became a forward air controller and earned his gold naval parachutist wings. His last assignment was as the Deputy Director for advisor training at Camp Pendleton .
In 2004, as the Special Operations Forces Liaison Officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), LtCol Kopelman was deployed to Iraq to train the Iraqi Special Forces (the SSF). In October, he was assigned as the liaison officer to an Iraqi Army battalion, and they entered Fallujah in November to battle insurgents for control of the city. Subsequently, LtCol Kopelman served as the I MEF liaison officer to a joint special operations task force and as a liaison officer to the Iraqi border forces – the Desert Wolves – at the Syrian and Jordanian borders.
Speaking to audiences about his experience in Iraq , he also addresses his journey of leadership, and his perspectives on current world events, terrorism, and how politics will affect Iraq and the world. Additionally, Kopelman is well-versed on the effects of PTSD and the resultant casualties of this debilitating and insidious disease. He speaks to these issues, as well as the increasing rates of suicide, substance abuse and homelessness among our veterans and what can be done to help them, and has become an advocate for these causes.
LtCol Kopelman is the San Diego NBC-TV affiliate’s military expert and appears frequently on television to discuss breaking stories, events and issues of importance to the military and veterans. He has authored two books, The New York Times and international bestselling memoir, “From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava”; and “From Baghdad to America : Life Lessons From a Dog NamedLava.” LtCol Kopelman is a sought-after radio and television guest, and has appeared on and co-hosted shows on both terrestrial and satellite radio. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Virtual Reality Medical Center , a San Diego-based company with offices in Los Angeles and Palo Alto , CA , that has been using simulation technologies to treat returning combat veterans suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) via graded exposure therapy. LtCol Kopelman previously served on the board of directors of the Enduring Freedom Killed in Action Fund. He received his undergraduate degree from
the University of Miami , Coral Gables , Florida . LtCol Kopelman is a competitive bicyclist, racing for the UC Cyclery/JW Floors team in San Diego . He and his wife, an anthropologist, are avid surfers who live happily in San Diego with their children and pets.
