Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Essay 2 (revised) for Portfolio
"From Darkness to Light, A Story of Heroism"
There he stood. Sweat dripping down his forehead as his eyes aimed through the sights of his rifle, squinting to enable him to see through the blaring desert sun. The enemy came within range, and the hero did what he had to: He put a bullet right in the chest of that twelve year old boy.
At first glance, that story might seem repulsive and to entitle that man as a ‘hero’ would sound far from right. Mikah King is both a hero and great friend of mine, and that is one of the many stories he has shared with me. The word ‘hero’ to me defines someone who puts others above themselves, and can react quickly, making a smart decision when thrown into tough situations. In light of this, the people who first come to mind when I think of heroes are the men and women of the United States armed services. Mikah has been in the navy for over two and a half years now, and has displayed brilliant acts of courage and strength. He always puts his comrades above himself, and is quick and bright enough to survive in the modern warfare of our age. For these reasons I am proud to call Mikah my friend, and hero.
To fully appreciate Mikah’s heroism, I believe it’s necessary to first learn about his past. Before he first left for boot camp a couple years ago, Mikah was a completely different person than he is now. He was into some unhealthy habits related to drug use and not enrolled in school of any sort. I won’t be any more specific about the drug abuse out of respect for my friend, but basically he was setting himself up to fail and did not seem to either realize, or care. Then, quite out of the blue really, I come to find out that Mikah had joined the Navy, and already had a date for departure to San Diego, California where he would begin training. Talk about taking a huge step in the right direction. He had chosen to get off the path of darkness which led to certain failure. Gun-shots, grenades, explosions, and all those other wonderful perkswez that come with the military life wouldn’t exactly be a walk in the park, but Mikah knew that when he signed up. He is a tough guy, and finding out what he would be doing with his life made me proud to be his friend. This was when Mikah first started to form into the mold of a ‘hero’ in my eyes.
As a member of the US Navy, Mikah is a soldier who would do anything for his fellow man. He recently came back for a 10 day break and had countless stories to tell of intense combat situations where many lives were at stake. He told me of a time where him and his team were stationed in Fallujah, Iraq, where one must always be alert and ready for action. He was wearing his bullet-proof flak jacket when suddenly a gun shot rang out and whizzed right past one of his fellow soldiers. Putting his friend’s life above his own, Mikah grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and desperately yanked him downward, throwing him to the ground just in time to save him from the next bullet. However, in return Mikah took that bullet himself, directly to the right side of the chest. The blow, which he described felt like unsuspectingly taking a full force knockout punch from Mike Tyson, instantly knocked the wind out of Mikah and put him on his ass for a few seconds. Lucky for Mikah he was wearing that flak jacket, for its without a doubt a better alternative to be winded for a few seconds, than dead forever. This brave act to me makes my classification of Mikah as a hero irrefutable. If saving a fellow comrade from certain death by bullet and absorbing the blow yourself does not make someone a hero, then I don’t know what does.
A hero must also be able to make quick and smart decisions when they are thrown into extraordinary situations. The story in the beginning of this essay greatly exemplifies Mikah’s ability to do this. Although one’s initial thoughts after hearing he shot and killed a boy who was merely twelve years old might be somewhere along the lines of, ‘wow, this guy is a sick bastard’, I assure you, he is not. Out in the desert things are different. Bombs explode and shots ring out from weapons of all sorts on a daily basis. The war concept of kill or be killed doesn’t discriminate against age, and when a little boy who isn’t even old enough to be in high school but can shoot an AK-47 is coming at you, it is sad what has to be done. However it takes a true hero to be able to make the right choice, which in this case was to shoot down the Iraqi insurgent despite his age. What could have happened had Mikah hesitated? He or his fellow comrade’s could have been injured, or even killed. For crucial circumstances bring with them crucial consequences, therefore a hero must be able to react quickly and with sound judgment in these situations and make a choice that will result in the most optimum outcome. That person is Mikah.
Before leaving for the Navy, Mikah was a good friend of mine, but far from a hero. Now that he has those experiences and all that he went though, and has shared with me those stories of courage and sacrifice; I now view him with new eyes; He is a changed man. And in no way was any of the change negative. He has gone from essentially a nobody with no potential, to a soldier; From someone looked down upon by most to a man who now has the respect of nearly everyone in this country; From my good friend Mikah, to my great friend, as well as hero, Mikah King: proud member of the US Navy.
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