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From: Alan Badmington
Date: 10/11/03
Time: 12:56:06 AM
Remote Name: 195.92.67.68
Hi Howard,
We have at least three things in common. We commenced stuttering at a very early age, we spent much of our lives wearing uniform and we both appear to adore public speaking.
I joined the Police Service in the UK at the age of 19. I wanted to face my problem head-on - I felt it would be a challenge to have regular contact with members of the public. I could have taken employment which involved less speaking, but I knew that was not the path I wished to tread.
It was an extremely rocky road and I experienced much heartache and frustration along the way, but I perservered and grew immensely as a human being.
Today, I am retired and have an extensive programme of public speaking engagements, including numerous talks to community organisations. The latter are aimed at increasing public awareness about stuttering.
A few questions:
(1) Was your decision to enter the military service influenced by the fact that you stuttered? Did you (like me) feel that you needed the additional challenge in order to overcome your fears of speaking?
(2) Have you ever considered undertaking talks that would improve public understanding about the problems faced by persons who stutter?
A great story!
Kindest regards
Alan Badmington