.jpg)
Command Sergeant Major Terry L. Braddock (US Army, retired) grew up on the South Side of Chicago during the turbulent and challenging civil rights years. Parents and grandparents instilled in him strong family values and gave him the strength, will and love to persevere. Experiences, both good and bad helped shape him and he chose to courageously take the higher road. He opened his presentation by saying, "If you could save a life would you do it? You may have to give up your life to save another." At 3 years old he witnessed his biological father beating his mother. He became a very angry kid. A bully at school taunted Terry so he fought back and seriously injured the child. Ultimately Terry was expelled and his family moved to a "worse neighborhood." This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He met Ms. Hannaberry, a white woman, a long time resident whose calling was to help kids get out of the poverty stricken and seemingly hopeless southside. Through her and people like her greatly influenced him. "You have a choice", says Terry. "Any and everything is possible." "How bad do you want it?" The word "no" means nothing to him - his intellect controls his choices. He says that America needs to get back to family values. We're accepting less from our children - they're not learning that standards such as integrity are very important. Kathleen, his wife, joined him at our meeting today who he often fondly refers to as "the First Lady."Thank you for your service Major Braddock! We appreciate you coming and speaking to our club and sharing your inspiring story. To read more about Terry's story and find his speaking schedule, visit his website HERE! You also may purchase his book, The Stump: My Way out of Chicago's South Side through his website.