Joe Broady is this big black guy that I went to school with. In the movie The Green Mile there's this huge man who reminds me of Joe. It's the same deep voice and intimidating size that says 'leave me be' and you do just that. I don't remember Joe ever saying any more than a couple of sentences a day. He used words as if they were alloted to him and he was always teetering on the edge of using them all up. Joe walked slow, spoke slow and was slow to anger.
We were all at school waiting on the bus to come pick us up when this group of guys did their usual tormenting of Roger. The poor boy would be pushed around, punched and called all kinds of names and all he could do was take it. He was out numbered and had the odds been better he was still far to small to even attempt to protect himself successfully. Roger just took it everyday...five days a week. Five days of torture. I noticed something though. I noticed that Joe was watching what was happening to Roger and he was talking to some of his friends about it.
"It ain't right the way they do that boy! Ain't none of my business but that ain't right!"
The bullies continued to pick on Roger and I continued to watch Joe and to strain to listen when he spoke to his buddies. Finally one day I watched Joe watching Roger suffer through yet another torture session. His eyebrows went down, his lips went into a straight line and he got up off that bench at Rockingham Junior High School and he walked over to the bullies and said one thing: "From now on when you touch Roger it's gonna be the same as you touching me! Do you see what I'm saying?" One guy told Joe that it had nothing to do with and that he should sit down and shut up. You could've heard a pin drop. Only the wind moved.
Joe clinched the boys shirt in his hand and pulled him inches from his own face and he said it again: "You touch Roger, you touching me! Don't make me do this!"
Nobody said another word. All eyes were glued to what was taking place at the bus stop. We all watched Joe sit back down and unclinch his fists. Roger, needless to say was never bothered again.
Joe Broady went on to graduate from Richmond Senior High School Class of 1979! From there he went on to serve his country in The United States Marine Corps. Joe spent 20 years serving us all. He was in his youth a defender of the weak and it carried through into his adulthood. I'm proud of Joe Broady and what he did way back in 1976 & I'm proud of him now! This man was military before he even knew it!