Bride-to-Be: Staff Sergeant Tammie Kai Carter, 33, U.S. Army
Groom-to-Be: Sherman Gillums Jr., 39, Retired U.S. Marine/Associate Executive Director of Veterans Benefits for Paralyzed Veterans of America
To Be Married On: April 7th, 2012
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
The year was 2009, and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Tammie Carter had plans to attend a function in honor of military service members and disabled veterans. Her job was to greet VIPs and attendees at the door upon arrival. “I saw a very handsome man in a sharp black suit with the darkest, prettiest eyes and most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen on a man, just working the room,” Tammie recalls, when describing the first time she laid eyes on retired U.S. Marine Sherman Gillums, Jr. that night. “I didn’t even notice his wheelchair until our eyes met and I began to wonder how he’d been injured.”
Sherman noticed Tammie, too. He approached her to ask about the medals on her Army dress uniform. It was the perfect conversation-starter. During their five-minute chat, she felt herself being drawn to this man. As they would quickly learn, it was the perfect example of love at first sight. They shared an unforgettable first date and were inseparable from then on.
When The Time is Right
It didn’t take Sherman long to recognize that Tammie was The One he was destined to be with and he couldn’t wait any longer to make her his wife. In March of 2010 he headed over to Tiffany and Co. and picked up a platinum and diamond ring for his soul mate. He hid it in his briefcase anxiously waiting for the perfect moment to ask Tammie to be his wife.
One evening at his place he called Tammie and their kids into the living room and prepared them for a big surprise. “I looked into Tammie’s eyes and stammered my way through the most heartfelt proposal I could muster,” says Sherman. “Our kids were first shocked than excited.” Tammie broke down and cried right after saying “yes”. She was overwhelmed by the joy of the moment. She and Sherman embraced each other and the kids as they thought about all the blessings the future held for their new family.
The happy couple heads down the aisle this spring. Join us in wishing Tammie and Sherman nothing but the best.
Photos: Keith Cephus Photography