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• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 2/12/2008 4:33 AM UTC

  George! Blind vet leads the blind
  

  George! Blind vet leads the blind

   

  by Ellyn Wexler

  Staff Writer

   

  George Brummell dedicated his memoir “Shades of Darkness” to the woman who raised him. The 63-year-old Silver Spring resident credits his grandmother “for shaping the child I was into the man I became.”
  

  
  “Whenever I whined or moped,” he recalls, she would say, “Quit your belly-achin’ child! Lord knows, there’s plenty o’ poor souls in worser shape than you.”
  

  
  Described by her grandson as “religious, hard working, kind, but uneducated” and “the most influential person in my life,” Miss Susie Simms was instrumental in giving Brummell the ability to negotiate significant obstacles: growing up amid the cucumber fields and tomato canneries of Federalsburg, a segregated community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore; surviving the war in Vietnam and creating a meaningful civilian life as a blind man.
  

  
  Brummell joined the Army at age 17, sent to Korea as a private, later deployed to Vietnam, where a landmine shattered the staff sergeant’s arm and blinded him. After the “deafening explosion” and “the shock wave slammed me to the ground,” he writes, “Grandma’s face popped into my head and I could hear her scolding me, “Lord sakes, child! Wat kinda unholy mess you got you’sef in now? C’mere boy, and let’s get you cleaned up.”
  

  
  And Brummell proceeded to do just that. The Army provided about 15 weeks of rehabilitation services prior to discharging him. Initially, in Akron, Ohio, his wife’s hometown, he packed light bulbs for a living.
  

  
  Not surprisingly, he says, “I soon grew tired of the menial task,” and moved on to other jobs — scheduling pickups for Goodwill Industries, operating a vending stand — that were not much more satisfying.
  

  
  Brummell “refused to succumb to the limitations of my blindness” and opted to get an education. During his seven-year pursuit of a social work degree at the University of Akron, he worked as a youth counselor and an ombudsman, and served as a volunteer visiting schools and “sensitizing students to blindness and explaining responsibilities of a social worker.”
  

  
  “After serious deliberation,” Brummell gave up his graduate studies at Case Western Reserve University for a career with the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), first in Chicago, then in D.C. He takes great pride in his 20 years of accomplishments for the benefit of his peers: veterans “whose vision had been impaired by combat or advanced age.”
  
  Among his suggestions to the Department of Veteran Affairs for blind veterans were making colon cancer screenings part of annual physical exams and telephone calls when correspondence was being sent. He has received numerous commendations and certificates of appreciation for his work, including a Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust Award (2001) and The Melvin J. Moss Award, the BVA’s highest honor (2005).

  Since retiring, Brummell has not been idle. Last year, he self-published his 347-page memoir subtitled “A black soldier’s journey through Vietnam, blindness and back.”
  

  
  He defines his primary post-retirement mission as visiting schools to “sensitize children to blindness and motivate them to read and write.”

  “Children respond very positively to my unique circumstances” and to “my positive, upbeat attitude and interesting stories,” he observes.
  

  
  “I explain how I did it [wrote the book], even with one hand, and [how] it all boils down to attending school, determination and persistence. I also teach them a few creative writing tricks, because I believe if children write, they will want to read more.”
  

  
  No doubt, much like Miss Susie’s, Brummell’s words inspire many of these youngsters to overcome obstacles in their own lives.

   
  

  
  
  “Shades of Darkness,” by George E. Brummell, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Ret., is available at GeorgeBrummell.com as well as amazon.com.

   

  • Tags:
  • George Brummell
  • Blind
  • Vet
  • Shades of Darkness
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Comments

Shamontiel 2/12/2008 10:13 PM UTC There was a scene in "Ray" that I keep picturing when I read this article. It was when the mom made Ray Charles find his way around the house on his own. I know that had to be hard for her and for the loved ones of this author, but I'm glad he was able to rise above this, especially to go about doing something that people depend on SEEING to write. I read an article about this author before this show started, and I am very interested in the book. Although I'm shying away from reviewing books anymore, I will check this one out! Thanks Mr. Brummell for sharing your experience.

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