Woodbridge Middle School honored Officer Derrick Sims for Veterans Day in November as students and teachers gathered outside by the American flag to sing and honor his service.
Officer Sims is always referred to as Mr. Derrick around the school because of his amiable demeanor. Mr. Derrick explained what it was like to train to be a marine.
He said, “Training was very tough, Yes I did think about quitting many times. It was physically tough mentally tough and emotionally tough, especially when isolated from your family and friends. And to add to that the weather was brutal, it was in the middle of the summer in the South, and there were a lot of things to overcome mentally, with fatigue, stress, lack of food, and lack of water, so they trained me to be very resilient, and looking back I’m glad I went through it, it has made me be a tougher person.”
After a successful 4-year tenure in the Marines, Mr. Derrick became a police officer in New York and New Jersey. He helped with the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He said, “My initial reaction when I got the call on 9/11 to go help out, was the shock of the amount of destruction. And you never get that out of your head.”
Mr. Derrick continued to explain some of the horrors of 9/11 that he saw, “It was very sad to see, the people having no other choice. It was horrid. But from all these life experiences I’ve learned and grown tremendously.”
Mr. Derrick shared the worst thing he has witnessed as a police officer. He said, “The worst thing I’ve seen as a cop was of course death and I came across motor vehicle accidents. And I was there during 9/11, and I saw people jumping out of the building, so I saw that. And that is the worst thing you could see as a cop.”
Mr. Derrick reinforced that dealing with death is the hardest part of the job, “For instance, one guy was in a car accident and I was trying to free him from the car and he passed away right in front of me, and [that] messed me up, after seeing someone die in front of you and there was nothing you could do.”
Even though Mr. Derrick has had some tough moments as a cop and marine, he shared the lessons he has learned and what he would tell someone interested in joining and said, “The most valuable lessons I’ve learned were integrity, resilience, just being a good person and a good friend being a good father. I would tell anyone who wants to join to just make sure it’s something you are determined to do because once you’re in you have to stay for 4 years, and you can’t get out, so it’s a serious commitment, but if you committed to it and dedicated to it it’s a lot of benefits.
Lastly, Mr. Derrick reflected on his time as a marine, “Would I go back to the Marines? when you’re young you can do a lot of things and accomplish a lot of things, and at this age now I look back, I question what I did, but I’m glad I did it, it was very tough and I probably would have done some things differently, but as far as being a marine I wouldn’t change that.”
Not only is Mr. Derrick an inspirational figure as a veteran, but he also brightens up the hallways of WMS daily. Students at Woodbridge Middle School shared some of why they like having Mr. Derrick around. Mr Derrick
Iyana Taylor, an 8th grader at WMS said, “I like Mr. Derrick because he gave good advice when he came to the classes and was sharing his experience as a veteran, and it made me respect him much more as a person and he is always trying to be there for the students. And when I am hungry in between classes he gives me my favorite granola bars.”
Andrew Gambino said, “I love how he is chill, and whenever you see him he always greets you with a smile on his face, and he seems like just a happy person in general. And just his aura and charismatics make me feel happier in general .”
