Profile essay

Actions speak louder than words.” Just one of the many sayings my father always said. He had a few he liked, but I believe this was his favorite. He is a very proud man, with great morals. He served in the Vietnam War in the Marine core. He is the type of man where you never had to guess how he felt, he was more than happy to let you know. Being the oldest of six, he had the responsibility of caring for his siblings. He was not able to enjoy the joys of a usual childhood. He had the burden of helping his struggling parents, hold the family together by working very young, and acting as another parent to the other kids. There were no summer camps, vacations, or free time for him. Only changing dipers, cleaning the house, and going to work. He once told me “The only time I felt like a normal kid was at school” After he graduated high school, he joined the Marine’s. He felt that he had already been living a very structured life and believed it would be a smooth transition. He was right. He was finally able to be the man he wanted to be, not another parent in a full house. Although there were many guidelines he had to follow in the military, he enjoyed the fact that he could be himself. He doesn’t talk a lot about the war. Only some stories of partying and having fun. The parts about the war itself he keeps to himself. I can only imagine some things he’s seen, and had to do. He was a gunner on a helicopter. Sometimes he provided ground troops cover, other times he went pick up troops. He once told me of a story where luck was on his side. One day he was not feeling well and decided to take a nap. He found a spot in the laundry room, and fell asleep on a pile of sheets. He awoke and found out his unit had been called in for a rescue mission. Another soldier was called in to replace him, because he could not be found. His helicopter was hit with enemy fire, and a few soldiers were wounded. If he hadn’t taken a nap that day, he could