SCRANTON, Pa. — Inside the auditorium at West Scranton High School, students were focused on the stories from former Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Alex Douglass and Army veteran Earl Granville.
Both men were wounded in the line of duty. They now travel to area schools and events to speak about adversity and their struggles. Some of the students we spoke with say the stories were inspiring and made an impact.
"They've had some hardships, of course, and been through like terrible things, but they've made came out stronger, so I'm really proud to hear that, and it was nice to meet them," said senior Taquan Robinson.
"In high school at the same age and social media and everything and a lot of people have issues and are going through things, so it just shows that you can get through it if you put your mind to it," said senior Madison Maloney.
Granville shared his story of losing his leg while serving in Iraq. An IED blew up the vehicle he was riding in, resulting in his injuries.
Douglass also lost his leg after he and Trooper Bryon Dickson were ambushed outside the state police barracks in Pike County.
"I was down in the dumps as you could say, you know, going through it from the beginning, but you know again, overcame it, and it's a good story, and it's a learning experience," Douglass said.
"Those hard days when something like this happens, as a community, as students, as teammates, even your professors, you have so many lean up against you know the care that way," Granville said.
Finding the positive is something both Douglass and Granville say they try to do every day and are happy to have the opportunity to turn grim circumstances into a positive impact.
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