From Guard To Guardian
Posted: Tuesday, June 05, 2007
by Al Bermudez Pereira
Al Bermudez Pereira, LLC.
As a former prison guard, Al Bermudez Pereira reflects on the lessons he learned at Sing Sing that drove him to make a difference in the lives of inmates--and be a better father to his own sons.
"Thanks for doing this for my father, He deserves it."
Perhaps the greatest testament to a father's impact is for his own children to recognize, later in life, that he is deserving of special recognition.
As a correction officer working at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in New York (known for housing violent criminals) Bermudez learned the lessons that made him an exceptional father and leader: "Young people really don't mind discipline. It actually gives them a sense of security and a firm foundation of personal strength and integrity," he says.
This philosophy became the foundation for this prison guard to raise his own sons and influence those around him.
Understanding without excuses
Al Bermudez, Sr., came to Florida to visit relatives and fell in love with the warm weather and the rural beauty of the outskirts of Sanford, where he still lives. It was a stark contrast to the urban environment where he was born and raised in New York.
Bermudez's experiences as a youth in Brooklyn fostered his interest in law enforcement. It was at Sing Sing that he realized the impact that one man can have on the lives of others--and the multiplying affect kindness and cruelty have on humanity.
"I had many sits downs and held endless conversations with young people incarcerated, some serving 10 to 100 years in prison," Bermudez says today. "Many blamed their unfortunate circumstances on absent parents, single parents working long hour days, no supervision and homes without fathers."
In listening to them without excusing their choices, Bermudez found the inspiration to instill discipline and self-reliance in his own sons. Having "seen young men in prison go astray, he made it clear that my brother and I would not," says Al Bermudez, Jr. His brother, Carmine, agrees, and says that, although "his odds were more against him," his father instilled in his sons the importance of being honest and patient so that they might become leaders, not followers.
As a father, Bermudez himself was this kind of leader. As Al Bermudez, Jr., says, "a man who never had a father did a great job being one."
Now that his boys are grown, Bermudez has found a way to continue serving as an example. As the author of Sing-Sing State Prison: One Day, One Lifetime, he shares both the psychological toll and the positive effects of working in such an environment.
Recognizing the level of bravery and professionalism required by those responsible for antisocial inmates, he coveys the impact of the experience.
In essence, the man he is today is the result of the men he knew at Sing Sing. "Prison actually helped me to perfect those imperfections I didn't know existed within me as a parent," Bermudez explains. "I couldn't help but absorb these unfortunate stories and positively implement them in my own personal life." Yet Bermudez emphasizes that "we can't save everyone from life's temptations."
Maybe not everyone--but this father guided one young man at a time. starting with his own sons.*
Central Florida City of Lakes Lifestyle Magazine,
Sharon Boeckle, Editing Manager, June 2007
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Yes, it was very helpful as a reminder that I worked with Al Bermudez when I was a correction officer at Sing Sing. Al was a true correction officer at heart. He was there to supervise the inmates and to make sure no harm came to them nor to any other correction officer. He was injured many times breaking up fights between inmates...and those that were out to injure other correction officers. I applaud him for the excellent job he did while working up the river at Sing-Sing, or as they call it in Hollywood "The Big House." God bless you, Al. Joe Sanchez Picon, former Port Authority police officer, NYPD police officer and New York State corrections officer.
In a recent New York Daily News article dated July 16, 2008, written by John Marzulli and titled, “Fired NYPD cop writes gritty book to set record straight,” Joe Sanchez story was told. More than two decades after he was terminated from the Police Department, the highly-decorated supercop who terrorized bad guys in Washington Heights still loves the job despite everything. Everything includes getting double-crossed by the Internal Affairs Division, which wired him up to catch a crooked lieutenant and captain; then his arrest on the allegations of a drug dealer; a conviction for assault that was overturned and an unsuccessful bid for reinstatement. Joe eventually went as far as to then Commissioner, Benjamin Ward in an attempt to regain his job as a Police Officer. But the damage was done and the bridge was burned.Joe violated the most sacred trust of the NYC Police Department; he broke the, Blue Wall Code of Silence.” He did not only turn over another cop, he turned over a Police Lieutenant and Benjamin Ward wasn’t having it, reinstatement was denied. Joe was not deterred; he later applied for and became a United States Postal worker where he worked for several years before applying for and becoming a New York State Correction Officer. During his career as a Correction Officer Joe was assaulted on several occasions by inmates he arrested in New York City and in one incident an attempt was made on his life. He sustained numerous injuries during the course of his career. This is the kind of guy I worked with and deeply proud to have crossed paths with during my lifetime, but don't listen to me; read it in his book, "True Blue, A Tale of the Enemy Within," ISBN: 978-1-60179-012-5Thanks Joe, and God Bless.Al Bermudez Pereira
Al and I compliment each other because we tell it the way it was up the river and inside "The Big House" Sing Sing. Al's new book is out: "Ruins of a Society and the Honorable", a must-read book. Joe Sanchez, NYPD, wikipedia biography, by Tony " The Marine" Santiago. God bless our troops and America.
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