Jean-Paul Courville
Jean-Paul Courville is the author of Forward On: Warrior to Wanderer, a retired U.S. Marine Sergeant Major, leadership speaker, and founder of JPC Adventures LLC. With more than 35 years of combined military and international experience, he brings a lifetime of leadership, adversity, travel, and personal transformation to his writing and speaking.
Jean-Paul served 22 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps (1991–2013). A decorated infantryman and former Marine Drill Instructor, he completed three combat tours in Iraq and served aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier supporting operations in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” for valor and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Class 60.
Following his military retirement, Jean-Paul spent nearly a decade working internationally as a military trainer and contractor, including several years in the United Arab Emirates, where he trained, mentored, and advised foreign military forces. He later served as Director of Procurement for the City of Atlanta.
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His memoir, Forward On: Warrior to Wanderer, is a raw and deeply personal account of endurance, identity, failure, healing, and transformation, built around his 2,194-mile solo thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. The story reaches far beyond the trail, weaving together combat, leadership, relationships, loss, travel, moral complexity, and the lessons learned from both success and failure.
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Through JPC Adventures, Jean-Paul speaks to corporate teams, military and veterans' organizations, universities, schools, and other audiences on leadership, resilience, personal accountability, and overcoming adversity. His approach combines candid storytelling, humor, and lessons earned through decades of leading people in demanding environments around the world.
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Jean-Paul has been a guest lecturer at the University of San Diego, a featured speaker at U.S. embassies and veteran employment events, and has been featured on Urban Valor TV and the Military Channel’s Warrior POV: Road to Baghdad. His writing has appeared in Marine Corps Gazette and OutdoorUAE.
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He holds a B.S. in Liberal Arts, an A.A.S. in Administrative Management, and a Homeland Security Certificate from Excelsior College. He is also a certified instructor in Marine Corps Martial Arts and Army Combatives.
All Videos
All Videos
How a Decorated Marine Sergeant Major Destroyed His Own Career
6 months on the Appalachian Trail in a Flash β‘οΈ
JP Courville, USMC
