Nov. 4: Motivational Speaker John Kriesel to Deliver Message of Resiliency, Positivity in Presentation at Minnesota State Mankato

Monday, November 4, 2024
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Ostrander Auditorium

Mankato, Minn. – Motivational speaker John Kriesel (pictured), who lost both of his legs while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2006, will deliver a speech that focuses on resiliency and positivity Monday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Ostrander Auditorium, located in the University’s Centennial Student Union.

Kriesel’s presentation, titled “Still Standing, Still Smiling,” is free and open to the public. To reserve seats, RSVP by clicking here. Free event parking is available across from Centennial Student Union in the visitor pay lot (lot 4).

According to his website, Kriesel was serving in Iraq when on Dec. 2, 2006, the vehicle in which he and four comrades were riding encountered a 200-pound improvised explosive device (IED). The blast killed two of Kriesel’s best friends, and he was severely injured, losing both legs, suffering numerous broken bones and internal injuries. He was transported to two field hospitals in Iraq, where he died three times on the operating table before doctors saved his life. He woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center after an eight-day medically induced coma. Nine months later, Kriesel walked out of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Kriesel was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010, but after one term decided not to seek re-election, according to his website. Kriesel is director of veterans services for a county in suburban Minneapolis, a part-time personality on KFAN radio, a motivational speaker and co-author of a book, “Still Standing: The Story of SSG John Kriesel,” that is the winner of eight national book awards.

For more information on this event, please contact Lenny Koupal, communications coordinator for Centennial Student Union, by email at leonard.koupal@mnsu.edu.

Kriesel’s presentation is sponsored by Centennial Student Union, the Veterans Resource Center at Minnesota State Mankato and Radio Mankato.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,251 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 26 colleges and seven universities.