Jonas Rides At The Door is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and member of the Blackfeet Nation (Amskapi Pikuni). Enlisting directly after high school, he served from 2003 to 2007 as an infantry machine gunner with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines (2/7) in the 1st Marine Division. During his active-duty service, he completed three combat deployments to Iraq’s Al Anbar Province, operating in Fallujah, Ramadi, Haditha, and Abu Ghraib. He fought in the First Battle of Fallujah (Operation Vigilant Resolve) and was awarded the Purple Heart after sustaining severe shrapnel injuries from an improvised explosive device (IED) in July 2004.
Following his military service, Jonas translated his experience with combat recovery into outdoor leadership and environmental stewardship. Since 2013, he has been a prominent advocate for public lands, collaborating with major conservation organizations—most notably the Vet Voice Foundation—to defend open landscapes and expand veteran access to nature. Rooted in both his Blackfeet heritage and his background as a disabled combat veteran, he views wilderness engagement as a vital therapeutic resource, operating on the conviction that the healing power of public spaces is a key tool in combating veteran suicide.
Now residing in Missoula, Montana, Jonas continues to lead initiatives at the intersection of Indigenous land stewardship, veteran advocacy, and public land defense. Through public speaking, policy outreach, and community engagement, he mobilizes veterans to protect shared waters and landscapes while rediscovering camaraderie outside the uniform. By uniting his Marine Corps discipline, tribal legacy, and passion for the outdoors, his work establishes outdoor service as a powerful pathway for healing, purpose, and lasting conservation.
