Our Story

I was born in Los Angeles and my parents chose to uproot our entire family and move across the country to a small town called Ossian, Indiana. It had one stop light and a whole lot of farmland. This is where I learned the value of hard work and how to overcome adversity. We were the only black family in town and I received both a warm, and an unfriendly welcome from my classmates. Fast forward 7-10 years, we moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana – a much larger city. I went from a predominantly all-white school to an all-black school. Talk about an adjustment, yet, I was still the kid who stood out. An L.A. city boy, turned country, who didn’t talk, act, or walk the same way they did. I had a hard time for several years trying to just “fit in”, feeling like I had to be like everyone else when I just wasn’t. I was often called “whitewashed” for my proper English or annunciation of my words and called “Uncle Tom” because I had such an eclectic genre of friends.

In high school I eventually broke down and joined my peers dressing like them, talking in slang like them, and skipping school with them. I was an average athlete and got talked into wrestling by my football coach. this was the time in life where I said F*CK WHAT EVERYONE THINKS! I worked hard and transformed myself. I went from a bench warmer to a starting athlete. I turned myself into a beast and I wanted everyone to know I didn’t care what they thought – “I am me”. My senior year my grandparents got sick, and we uprooted once again, to Flagstaff, Arizona so we could help them. This was hands down the best move my family ever made. Finally I was somewhere where everyone was so welcoming and accepting; people were interested in me for me and did not care about anything else.

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I ended up getting a football scholarship to Eastern Arizona College but left early due to an injury. After returning home to my parents, I began working in Flagstaff, AZ. However, I had a void I could not fill. I felt like I needed to do and be something greater...and so be it! In 2011 I walked into the Marine Recruiting office where I was talked to as if I were stupid. I walked out and went straight into the Army’s Recruiting office where Staff Sergeant Ragsdale greeted me with an open book attitude. Three weeks later I was in Fort Benning, ass deep in Infantry basic training. Immediately after graduating I was deployed to Panjwai, Afghanistan. This deployment was truly the toughest thing I have ever done. We lost great men, I was tested in so many ways,  I saw things no person should, while simultaneously having to ensure that we made it to the next day alive. We carried our brothers and lived just one day at a time. The time I spent there was life changing and turned me into the man I am today. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

After twelve years serving, I was medically retired due to multiple knee surgeries (seven to be exact). Leaving the Army was bittersweet but being newly married at the time, I looked forward to spending more time with my wife and newborn. Through this particular journey, Medusa Apparel was born.

Cheers ladies and gentlemen!

“DEFEND SPERWAN!”