Lights Out

by SSgt Vernon Young Jr.

Texas Trip 2010: Abandoned ranch

Staff Sergeant James Beck, 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, lands a left hook to Senior Airman Daniel Logan, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, during the Armed Forces Boxing Championships, January 27, 2011.  Sergeant Beck won the bout and continued on to fight in the championships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Vernon Young Jr.)

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I was no stranger to Staff Sergeant James Beck; we had both grown up in the same rough Pennsylvania neighborhood, always looking for a way to succeed.  It was no surprise when I discovered he was also at Langley Air Force Base.  I was fortunate to be able to document his journey.  Not even a tumor could halt Sergeant Beck’s drive.  In 2010, after a major surgery to remove a tumor, doctors told him he would never box again.  Through faith and determination, Sergeant Beck pushed through the pain and beyond, making the Air Force Boxing Team.  The power of his punch is only dwarfed by the strength of his conviction.