Ann Caroline Harrell
Mrs. Blair
Honors English 1
5 March 2013
My Hero
My dad is not only a hero, but a father figure as well. He is my hero for many reasons, some of which no one will understand but me. My dad has taught me not only kindness and devotion, but loyalty as well.
My dad did one thing that changed my life for a year, something I did not wish for him to do, but something he felt compelled to do. He withdrew from his life in West Point to take on the role of being a soldier for the National Guard. He knew that it would trouble us, but he always said "do not cry over spilled milk," and that a year would move by fast. My dad never forgot his true role to be a father, he never once failed to remember that we were still in his life or to forget the pain we were suffering from for his soon to be absence. He tried to make his little time with us as valuable as he could by throwing the ball or watching movies as a family.
The day he left brought many tears to the eyes of the ones he loved, including me. We knew that it would be a long and hard year but we also knew we could get through it. We had to have devotion through this struggle, to still be a family and stick together. We would get letters and small gifts in the mail and videos of him talking about his adventure so far. Loyalty to stay in contact was hard, but we managed to do it. We would Skype every other day and sometimes get a phone call from him. I never quite knew what he did during the days because he could not tell us, I knew that he could not because it was one of the rules in the military, but I also knew he did not want to trouble us.
While my dad was gone my family and I went through hard times. Many days we thought we could not handle this anymore or that we would not make it without our dad. But he would remind us just a few more months. My friends and relatives were very nice toward us while he was away, especially Sydney. She was very supportive and would always get my mind off of things. One day I was tired of people asking me about my dad and I got upset and yelled at one of my best friends, I realized later on that I upset her. I apologized to her because my dad taught me to be kind, not mean, and I did not want to loose my best friend too.
Although my dad was gone, we managed to get through the year. Everything my dad taught me I used in everyday situations with my friends and family. My dad is a hero not only for being a soldier, but for being the best dad I could ask for.
tell me if anything needs to be corrected
... I feel you need to improve the presentation of this para; It's clarity is somewhat disturbed;
My dad once took a decision which I did not wish him take, but this decision helped change my character. He accepted the transfer from the West Point to National Guard that made him stay away from the family for one full year. He knew well that it was going to be very problematic for the family, but said "do not cry over spilled milk; and that year would soon pass". However, he never forget his responsibilities as a good father and always had the first priority for the family. I remember how he dedicated even the little leisure time he had to be with us to give his best attention and care for us.
