Purple Heart recipient and current Liberty online student receives call to ministry during military service

After high school, at the age of 18, Jatorin Owens began a military career that spanned 16 years and included four overseas deployments in the U.S. Army, twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan, before medically retiring as a staff sergeant and becoming a full-time pastor. Owens, now a student with Liberty University Online Programs, received the Purple Heart for his service in 2006, when he was wounded during his second deployment to Iraq. Owens was the convoy commander as he and three other soldiers were escorting civilian vehicles.

“Once the route was cleared, we started to drive off, and that’s when an IED (improvised explosive device) exploded next to my Humvee,” Owens recounted. “My gunner fell into my lap in the Humvee, and as we were trying to escape, the 18-wheeler carrying civilians ran into my truck. It was a pretty traumatic experience, I sustained a concussion in addition to back injuries, and my gunner had to be med-evacuated to the United States. The blessing is that all of us recovered and are still alive. We mostly sustained internal injuries but we all survived, and that was such a blessing.”

Liberty will honor Owens and all of our nation’s Purple Heart recipients on Saturday, National Purple Heart Day. The Purple Heart is the nation’s oldest military award, introduced as the “Badge of Military Merit” by Gen. George Washington in 1782. It is one of the most respected medals that U.S. military members can receive.

Liberty became the first Purple Heart University in Virginia in 2017, designated by the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) in recognition of a university’s support of military members, including veterans and their families. A parking spot has been reserved in front of DeMoss Hall, where the Liberty University Veterans Center is located, and another spot in front of the School of Business to be used by Purple Heart recipients and all others who have been wounded during combat while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Liberty’s Office of Military Affairs recently announced that two more spots will be reserved this year, at Hancock Welcome Center and the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center.

As it has done in years prior, Liberty will illuminate the Freedom Tower with purple lights on Aug. 7 in honor of our nation’s Purple Heart recipients.

The call to ministry for Owens came five years after that traumatic incident, while he was on his third tour, this time in Afghanistan. He felt the Lord calling him to preach. Upon his return to the U.S., stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Owens shared with a local pastor about what God had told him, and Owens delivered his first sermon in 2012. On his fourth and final tour, Owens was able to continue his ministry by serving his peers in Afghanistan.

“I served as a faith leader because we didn’t have a chaplain, but they knew I was a licensed minister, so they gave me the opportunity to teach Bible studies and hold regular Sunday services for my fellow soldiers,” Owens said. “That was a great experience. It really gave me the opportunity to grow in the Word and lead God’s soldiers as they grew and matured in their faith.”

Owens retired from the military and began full-time ministry in 2015. That’s when he realized both the desire and opportunity to advance his education. After hearing from other veterans about the military benefits Liberty provides, the convenience of its online learning platform, and the Christian worldview from which it teaches, Owens enrolled in Liberty University Online Programs in 2019. As a Purple Heart recipient, Owens has been eligible to receive Liberty’s Heroes Fund Scholarship, made possible by generous private donations from Liberty supporters. He is currently pursuing two bachelor’s degrees in Christian leadership and business management and is planning to earn his Master of Divinity.

“I saw that Liberty supported veterans, and I thought that was a major highlight, and the online route was perfect being in South Carolina and being the pastor of an established church,” said Owens, senior pastor of Fellowship Church of East Cooper in Mount Pleasant, S.C. “I was able to do ministry and full-time education all at the same time, so Liberty actually helped me to have a balance between being a pastor, husband, father, and a student as well. Having the (scholarship) from being a veteran has been a great help.”

For Owens, finding a school that met his needs as a veteran and appreciated his career of service to his country was important.

“Especially when you’re active duty, a lot of us veterans aren’t able to pursue an education like a civilian since we’re in such a demanding job, so to be able to go into the civilian sector and still pursue your education at a school like Liberty that has so many benefits, it was a big deal for me and I appreciate it so much,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to accomplish something at the age of 41 now that I didn’t get to do at 18 when I entered the military. It shows that my work as a veteran didn’t go in vain and that I still have the opportunity to continue my education and get better as a person.”

Liberty’s Military Affairs Office works throughout the year to ensure that Liberty’s military students and their families receive the support to succeed in their academic and professional careers. Visit their website for more information on education benefits and resources.