My hero is my grandfather on my dad’s side. He was in WWII. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served for a few years, he received some awards too. My grandfather lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My parents said I met him once, but I was very young and I do not remember. We have some of his old medals and items he brought back from the war.

My dad said that my grandfather “probably did not want to join the Armed Forces. He was drafted into the U.S. Army when he was 18”. My grandfather thought it was his duty to fight for his country. He was in the 1st U.S. Army, company H, 8th infantry class A. He was a private, 1st class. He participated in battles in France, Belgium, and Germany.

My grandfather served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to the end of the war in 1945. He fought in four different battles. They were the battles of Normandy, Brittany, Rhineland, and Central Europe. All four of those battles were won by the U.S. Army. During the war, he went to France, Germany, and Belgium. The Battles of Normandy and Brittany were fought in France. The Battle of Rhineland was fought in Germany. The Battle of Central Europe could have been in any of those three countries. During the war, he received many awards.

My grandfather obtained quite a few awards. The ribbons he was given were the Good Conduct ribbon, the WWII Victory Medal ribbon, the European Campaign ribbon, the American Campaign ribbon, and four battle stars on an Eto ribbon. He also received the Combat Infantry Badge. My grandfather was part of the Foxhole Testament League, which is a bible study in the Army. He made it through the war and was able to go home afterward.

After the war, my grandfather went back to Grand Rapids, Michigan and joined a bible college. At the bible college, he became a reverend. My dad said that my grandfather “met his future wife, Ruth Montgomery, when he became a pastor at the Continental Baptist Church”. They both served as missionaries for 39 years. My dad said that my grandfather “died of a heart attack when he was 72 years old”. My grandfather was like Odysseus in a few ways.

My grandfather was like Odysseus because he went through a lot of dangerous situations. Odysseus had to pass Scylla, the Cyclops, Circe, and defeat the suitors. My grandfather had to fight in four battles when people were shooting at him. Also, after a number of years, they both returned home. I think my grandfather was heroic because he made it safely through four battles. It must have been hard to avoid getting hit. He was also heroic because he earned many ribbons for different things. He received the ribbons because he was good at fighting. He was heroic because he went through three countries and eventually got home. Some of the men did not make it that far. He was lucky he was able to make it through all three countries and get back home safely. He was heroic because he was in the U.S. Army for most of the war. I think that some of the men tried to leave the U.S. Army because they did not want to fight.

I think my grandfather could have been a good Odysseus because they are both very brave. I am glad that he was able to return home after the war. I think that anyone who joins the Armed Forces is heroic. My grandfather was in the U.S. Army because he was drafted into it, and while he bravely served, he was presented with several awards.