During the Evangeline Parish School Board’s Parent Involvement Day slated for Thursday at the North Side Civic Center, parents and students will be able to hear a motivational message from an individual who served his country in the Special Forces.
“I’m excited to come to Ville Platte and to encourage the parents,” said Terry “Ranger” Johnson of Marietta, Texas. “I’ll be talking about ways the parents can encourage their children to continue their education. I want to encourage the parents that they can encourage their children to go further than that.”
The crux of Johnson’s message is his own path to overcoming obstacles on his way to achieving success.
“I saw the movie The Green Berets when I was in the seventh grade,” said Johnson, “and John Wayne starred in The Green Berets. I said then I wanted to become a Green Beret, but I didn’t know how I was going to do it. I didn’t know it was going to be so difficult, but I did in fact become a Green Beret.”
In doing so, Johnson joined a group of the United States military that is one percent of one percent. “Only one percent of the total force of the military is special operations forces,” he explained. “Less than one percent of the special forces is African-American.”
“I say I became one percent of one percent not to brag about me but to tell children I speak with that anybody can become successful,” he continued. “I had the same background of many children I talk to. I grew up in a single parent home with my mom, myself, and my sister for the most part. I just had a vision and a dream to become successful.”
Another obstacle Johnson had to overcome was a fear of swimming on his way to becoming a United States Army Ranger.
“When I joined the Army,” said Johnson, “I asked what does it take to be a Ranger. They said a swim test. It’s in full uniform with boots, load bearing equipment, and a weapon in your hands.”
He continued, “I wanted to be a Ranger, but I couldn’t swim. It took seven years to learn how to swim and pass the Ranger test. I started in 1980 and didn’t graduate Ranger school until February 1987. It took seven years, but I was able to accomplish it.”
After he retired from the Army in 2000, Johnson began his motivational speaking and kept the name “Ranger.” The name combined with his uniform hanging on stage serve as a marketing tool during his talks.
“‘Ranger’ Johnson kind of had a ring to it,” he said. “The first time I hung up my uniform on stage, people didn’t necessarily remember my name, but they remembered the guy in the uniform.”
Aside from being a motivational speaker, Johnson also has published three motivational books. His latest is Train Like You Fight... Today’s Preparation for Tomorrow’s Mission.
“What I find with millions of us who want to be successful is we don’t know how,” stated Johnson. “We don’t know the steps to take in having a successful life from a standpoint of preparing because the biggest step in becoming successful is preparation.”
He continued, “This book is about how to prepare to be successful in life and at any career. I hope people can take the principles I teach in the book to help them to become even more successful in whatever career they’re in.”
Johnson’s message in his speaking and books boils down to the fact that there is no secret to success.
“All this stuff about a secret to success is garbage,” he said. “There is no secret to success.”
He concluded, “I believe everybody has something they can do. The problem with many of us is we don’t find out what that it and squander our lives doing so many other things and not mastering whatever it is to become successful.
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TONY MARKS Associate Editor