Jack Mook, 45, has all the qualities you can expect in a hero. He is a veteran of the Gulf War and currently works as a police detective in Pittsburgh. He also volunteers at a local non-profit gym, Steel City Boxing Association, where he coaches and mentors inner-city children. However, he’s heroic deeds stretch beyond acts of bravery in war or in the line of duty as a policeman.
Mook meets the Boys
Mook met Josh and Jesse at the gym in April 2007. The brothers were part of a group of boys that he coached. As he interacted with the boys, he learned about their traumatic life at home. Both their parents were addicted to drugs. They lived in a part of town known for prostitution, violence and drug trafficking. To Jesse and Josh, the gym was a refuge.
“The gym was where we escaped to,” says Josh. He worked tirelessly and was in the gym nearly every day. However, in the late summer of 2012, the brothers stopped coming to the gym. This was of great concern to Jack. He tracked down Josh and went to confront him after school. It was just a week to Christmas.
Their New Abusive Life
Josh, who was 13 at the time, looked terrible. “His cheeks were sunken and he had bags under his eye,” says Mook. “There were patches of hair missing from his head and he had a rash on his neck.” The brothers were living with an uncle and aunt having been removed from the care of their parents by social services.
However, their new living situation was no better. Their new home was infested with fleas, rats and roaches. Their new guardians were drug peddlers. They were also physically and verbally abusive. They kept the boys away from the gym as they feared their budding relationship with Jack, a police officer.
The Rescue
Mook contacted their caseworker, but she claimed that they were fine according to agency standards. The boys’ uncle, however, was arrested two weeks later. Mook contacted the family-court lawyer handling the boys’ case and was chosen as a foster guardian to the boys after undergoing background checks. “I’ve never felt such relief,” says Mook about hearing the decision.
The boys now live under Mook’s care. Jesse is a straight-A student. Josh would like to follow in his foster dad’s shoes and join the military academy. He hopes to become one of the Special Forces one day. They both continue training at the boxing gym and were champions in their weight classes in the 2014 Pennsylvania Western District Golden Gloves tournament.
