CORPORAL MATTHEW BRADFORD SPEAKS WORDS OF HOPE TO FAST CHANGE TEAM

Fast Change Lube and Oil held its quarterly manager meeting on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 and the Guest speaker was Corporal Matthew Bradford, a Winchester, Kentucky native, who was a freshman in high school when the horrific September 11 attacks occurred. Bradford says he felt like it was his sole purpose and duty to serve this country.

In 2004 while he was still a senior in high school, Matthew joined the Marines’ delayed entry program. After high school, he served and deployed with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Echo Company, 2nd Platoon 2nd squad. Matthew was deployed to Haditha, Iraq in the Al Anbar Province from September 2006 until January 18, 2007, when he was severely injured on a foot patrol.

“I remember walking down the street. The road was called Park Place, it ran parallel to the Euphrates River to my left and the compound wall was to my right. There was a white bag lying up against a tree. I point out something suspicious, I turn around, and there was a ditch along the wall that ended in a pipe. I looked down and saw the wires. I was standing right on top of it.” Matthew explained. He continued, “Instantly the IED sent shrapnel into both my eyes and took my left leg. The blast put me in a coma for three weeks.”

After Matthew woke up, he was completely blind in both eyes and both of his legs were gone. But his story didn’t end there. Today Matthew competes in marathons, goes on hikes, surfs, and he even got a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 2017.

“I’m truly blessed with the way I’ve lived my life since my injury, actually my whole life, it’s always been one step after the next from high school straight to the marine core, retiring, going to school, working with veterans, I never had time to sit and think about what the next step is, and honestly that is one of my deepest fears is getting to the point in my life where I don’t know what the next step is because it’s important for me to stay busy.” Matthew was the first blind, double-amputee to reenlist in the United States Marines Corps in 2010.

Corporal Bradford has 3 key points that he lives by:

1. Adapt and Overcome
2. Lead by Example
3. Never Quit

People are always watching and observing and as Matthew says, it’s his desire to motivate, inspire and encourage people to live beyond their comfort zone.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the person watching or observing, it’s about the person that’s struggling with my condition. If I can give them some kind of advice or motivation and encouragement to help him realize, that outside of those hospital doors, you can do this stuff”, explains Matthew.

Fast Change Lube and Oil’s core values consist of Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, and Excellence, also known as PRIDE.

Matthew says pride is important in any task or job we might face.

“You’ve got to love what you do and be passionate about what you do. If you have that mindset to wake up each and every day proud and excited to go to work and understand that what you do at work is making a difference in someone else’s life is very important and very beneficial”.

Matthew Bradford resides in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife and their three children.

Fred Doster is a U.S. Veteran who also spoke at the meeting. Doster is a longtime volunteer of Military Missions, INC located In Lexington, Kentucky.

Military Missions is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers who support and honor deployed U.S. Military personnel by sending care packages as an expression of appreciation and gratitude to the men and women who are providing safety for all of us. The Fast Change team raised $30,000.00 for Military Missions in 2018.

Doster commended the Fast Change Team saying their core values matched those who protect and serve our country.

“I was very, very impressed with the PRIDE values. They are basically the values of real military people. Marines, Military, Air Force, and the Navy.”

For more information on Military Missions, INC please visit https://military-missions.org.

Fast Change Lube and Oil proudly support the brave men and women who protect our great nation. Fast Change offers military discounts to active duty personnel and veterans at all 20 Fast Change Locations.