October 12, 2022

SVSU to host inspiring Michigan veteran Major Jonathan Turnbull

Saginaw Valley State University will host a retired U.S. Army major who survived a suicide bomber attack in Syria. Major Johnathan Turnbull (retired) lost his sight and endured 22 surgeries and two years of rehabilitation. He returned to Gaylord with his wife, Samantha, and today inspires audiences with his story of service and survival.

Maj. Turnbull will present “Zero Percent Chance – A Soldier’s Story of Hope” on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 6:00 p.m. in SVSU’s Malcolm Field Theatre. The event, which is hosted by SVSU’s Military Student Affairs in partnership with the Aleda Lutz VA Medical Center, is free and open to the public. Turnbull’s talk will include a Q&A and will be followed by a book signing with refreshments.

Turnbull, a Flint native, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2010 and commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Turbull had deployed to Afghanistan, Jordan and Lebanon before embarking on a mission as a special operations cross functional team leader in Manbij, Syria. On Jan. 16, 2019, a suicide bomber killed four of his team and critically injured him. Turnbull retired in 2021 and now trains, mentors and inspires others. His book, “Zero Percent Chance,” details his experience in the military and highlights his challenges as well as how he overcame them.