A Real American hero

I have always been a fan of boxing as a truly American sport…like baseball. I actually like boxing and baseball movies more than the actual sports…go figure! I had never heard of ‘Bulldog’ Jim Braddock until I recently saw the movie: Cinderella Man. Braddock was a heavy weight boxer in New York in the late twenties and thirties. The movie tried to stay true to the events in Braddock’s life and, I have to say, made Braddock one of my heroes. A hero is someone who inspires you to hold on just a little longer.

In Braddock’s case he was a strong contender in his career until the infamous stock market crash of 1929. He, like so many other Americans, lost everything including his boxing license, and ended up in a soup line. Braddock had a wife and three small children. He didn’t walk out on them because things were too tough. He swallowed his pride and did what he had to do to feed his family. He resisted going on public assistance until he was forced to.

Braddock was given a second chance in his boxing career…and he came out fighting! He fought his way to the heavy weight championship of the world. He went back to pubic assistance and paid back every penny. He went on to serve honorably in WWII and then into building his own business. I won’t try to retell his story here. It can be found at his official site: http://www.jamesjbraddock.com/ It is well worth reading and remembering.

Braddock was a father, a husband, a fighter and a man of honor. Jim Braddock was a hero to his generation…he inspired them to hold on just a little longer. The values this man exemplified to a generation of Americans are sorely needed today. His story should be told and remembered, and his values taken to heart.

There is nobility in the human spirit. Men like James J. Braddock shine the light on it...