Jason mccarthy goruck biography

Jason McCarthy’s (MBA’11) mom was irritated. She had asked her son to run an errand for her, and he didn’t get it done. She was standing in the kitchen, looking at her boy who had successfully completed a degree from Emory University, but didn’t have plans for a future. He couldn’t even get this one thing done.

McCarthy’s excuse did not help. He didn’t complete the task, he told her, because he had been busy signing up to join the Army Special Forces.

Today McCarthy admits that in some ways, this kind of sacrifice for your country is also selfish in the worry and fear it can instill in those who love the soldier. “When I go to war, my family goes with me,” he says. But his decision was important to him personally. It was late in the summer of 2003, and he wanted to be a part of bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice.

It would also prove important to his future — a future that admittedly seemed a little uncertain in the kitchen that day. What McCarthy and his mother didn’t know at

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Jason McCarthy

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

GORUCK

Jason McCarthy is the Co-founder and CEO of GORUCK, a company that has become synonymous with quality, durability, and a sense of community. Raised in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Jason's journey to founding GORUCK began after the events of 9/11, prompting him to enlist in the U.S. Army. Serving as a Special Forces Green Beret from 2003 to 2008, Jason served in three tours overseas, including the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jason credits his time in the military for shaping him into the person he is today, believing that there is no nobler way to live than in service to others. His wife, Emily, a former CIA Case Officer, was stationed in West Africa during his time in the military, where the idea for GORUCK was born.

After returning to civilian life, Jason started GORUCK in 2008 with the vision of creating the highest quality bag that could withstand any conditions. What started as a simple "Go-bag" f

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Packing It All In

Not long after Jason McCarthy 01C graduated from Emory with a grad in economics, the September 11, 2001, attacks changed his future.

“After 9/11, the country was in a different fläck, so inom joined the army,” says McCarthy. “It just felt like the right thing to do.”

Those years serving in the United States Army Special Forces—and true love—were the genesis of GORUCK, a gear and event company poised to make revenue in excess of $20 million this year.

While McCarthy was serving in Iraq, his wife, Emily McCarthy, was serving as a diplomat with the utländsk Service in West Africa.

“It was a dangerous place, and inom wanted her to be ready in case something happened,” says McCarthy, who used his special forces training to prepare a “go bag” for her to keep with her at all times. “It was filled with survival stuff—batteries, a solar powered radio, vatten, a multitool, running shoes. People always forg