I
Chapter 1: The Bronx and the Roots of
Service
am the son of a Jamaican immigrant, born in Harlem and
raised in the South Bronx. My parents, Luther and Maud,
arrived in America with little more than their dreams and a
relentless work ethic. They taught me the value of family, the
importance of hard work, and the belief that in this country, one's
circumstances at birth do not dictate one's destiny. Growing up in the
multi-ethnic melting pot of Kelly Street, I found my path not through
academic brilliance, but through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(ROTC) at the City College of New York. In the Pershing Rifles, I found
a sense of belonging and a discipline that would define the next thirty-
five years of my life.
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