United States Army Sergeant James “Carl” Sampson was born in Picayune, Mississippi and raised in the small town of Salem, Mississippi. The eldest of three boys, he and his younger brothers were raised by their parents and grandparents. Growing up, Sampson was known as kind-hearted, social, fun, loving, energetic, and active. While he was in high school, he worked on a small dairy farm milking cows, assisted his parents at their grocery store, as well as helped his father in construction and painting. Later on, Sampson and his wife, Kelly, crossed paths at a Chinese restaurant and the pair have been inseparable since.
Inspired by his grandfather who served in the United States Marine Corps, Sampson joined the USMC in 1987. He served for four years before serving an additional three years in the Army National Guard. Sampson enjoyed everything about his career, however, above all, he loved driving heavy equipment while on deployment. After his service, Sampson was working as a crane operator for NASA, when in September of 2003, his cousin, Rodney Sampson, whom he had always been in the unit with, told him the unit was deploying. Although he was no longer in the military, Sampson contacted his unit commander and insisted they take him back. Too late to be fitted for a uniform, Sampson, undeterred, drove to the next city and bought his own to deploy to Iraq with his brothers in arms in the 890th Engineering Battalion. Sampson has multiple honorable discharges from the Army National Guard, and his love for the Military remains unwavering.
During his tour in Iraq in 2003, Sampson was involved in an explosion caused by a buried 155-millimeter missile that was set off with a cell phone. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, the loss of one of his eyes, and several broken bones. Following the attack, his recovery was long and hard, having experienced numerous seizures, undergone left craniofacial reconstruction, and other medical complications.
Currently, Sampson, his wife, Kelly, and son, Brody, live in Picayune, Mississippi. He and his wife love to frequent new restaurants together paying homage to how they first met. In the future, he is most excited to have his new Smart Home gifted to him by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. He is grateful for the gift as well as financial freedom and peace of mind about the future. United States Army Sergeant James “Carl” Sampson would like others to know that although he was hurt, he would do it all over again.