SGM (R) Alex Rucker

Sergeant Major (Retired) Alex Rucker sat down with me for Heroes Live. Ninety minutes. I told my dad about him. The boxer.

Detroit. National Guard first. Military police. A year of that. Then Fort McClellan, Alabama. Basic and AIT. African-American kid from Detroit, down south, hearing the horror stories. He got off the bus anyway.

He wanted missiles. The recruiter conned him into 16 Romeo. Vulcan. He still laughs about it. Tried out for the 84 Olympics. Captain Casmus would not cut him loose for special duty. Average boxer, he says. Got whooped some days. Did the whooping on others.

Jumpmaster. I looked up to him. Made me want the school. 982nd Signal, combat camera, jump slots. They looked at the 82nd on his record and made him a key piece. East Point, Georgia. NCOIC. That is why he put the hat on.

Korea. Then they went to Honduras. Bosnia. Iraq. Afghanistan. A cohesive team. Kim. A daughter going into tenth grade. He prays for them every day. Thank you, Sergeant Major. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.