Ben Brackley

Benjamin Brackley was born August 13th 1989 in Olympia Fields, IL. He was adopted at birth and raised in Oak Park, IL. He attended Oak Park River Forest High School but dropped out going into his senior year. He moved to Rantoul, IL and enrolled in Lincoln Challenge Academy to acquire his GED. Graduating in December 2006 he immediately enlisted the US Army as an Infantry Mortarman and reported to basic training at Fort Benning Georgia in January 2007. Upon completion of basic training in June of that year he reported to his first duty station, 25th Infantry Division Schofield Barracks Hawaii, in July. He deployed to Iraq in December 2007, and spent 15 months conducting various combat operations throughout the Baghdad/Taji region. Returning back stateside in March 2009, Ben then re-enlisted in the Army and moved to Fort Campbell Kentucky in July 2010. One month later he was sent to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division. He returned one year later in August 2011. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in August 2012 and deployed a third and final time (his second to Afghanistan with the 101st) from May 2013 to December 2013. Ben returned from this deployment and was stationed again in Hawaii before his discharge from the Army in October 2015. Since then he’s been living in the Chicagoland area and began attending IMS October 2017. He hopes to one day be a sports play by play broadcaster and is currently a co-host of “BS Sports” at the Illinois Media School.