The sound of a gunshot blasts through the quiet desert in the midst of the night, the sun barely peaking over the horizon: a soldier picks up his gun and gets ready to defend himself, to defend his country. I sit in my history class watching the clock tick off the seconds until the bell rings, tick, tick, tick, wishing to be somewhere else, absolutely anywhere else but there. How do these situations compare? Easy, one is what a hero does every day and the other is what I do every day.

An intriguing question has been presented to me, does America still have heroes? Of course we do, we have Batman, Superman, and Spiderman, right? These are some of the most famous heroes of our time but what about all the other heroes who go unnoticed and forgotten, the true heroes who have protected my freedom and I’m not referring to the ones who are printed in comic books. Every night when I crawl into bed and snuggle under my warm, cozy blanket I go to sleep to wake up to a nice day. My house is just the same as it was when I fell asleep, only with the aroma of breakfast drifting to my nose. I don’t have a web slinging hero to thank or one with a cape, just a soldier and his gun. The freedom I have to write this speech is thanks to the American soldiers. It’s a freedom I take with pride.

My great grandfather was a World War II veteran. When I was little I would always sit in front of him and listen to his war stories. I would always think of how brave he was and how I could never do what he had done. It was hard to believe that anyone could experience what he had, let alone my own grandfather. That is why he is my American hero and he always will be and the most amazing thing is that he is not alone. There are many other heroes here in America, as well as the other American’s that are fighting across the sea. Some are like the ones in the comic books, they have regular jobs and are normal people but what we don’t see is what they have done in the past years when they were in the army. Unlike the ones in comic books they don’t have any special powers or tool belts to help them with their “mission.” They don’t’ have anything thing like that yet they accomplish more than any of those superheroes. We never see their bravery or the battles that they have fought in but only what is in front of us, that undercover American hero.

America is filled with tons of people but only some are heroes. I will probably never know what kind of struggles and hardships accompanies war. That is another difference between a true American hero and me. Our American heroes go through struggles that are greater than any kryptonite that Superman ever had to deal with, they are even greater than the Jokers best plot. They are real and can even be deadly yet they still aren’t afraid to pick up their gun and face whatever may come their way.
We live in amazing county that actually has heroes like this. Our American soldiers have a certain amount of bravery and gratitude that cannot be matched. We can depend on them to protect us and keep us safe no matter what. They are ready on a moment’s notice. Just like a soldier that is awoken in the middle of the night, they are ready to help when it is needed. They don’t care what the cost is to them, they only care about the cost and what it means to the country. So while I sit in my history class counting the minutes away, there are real American heroes out there defending our county. I think that answers my question. America does have heroes, some of the greatest you could ever dream of. And next time that you’re like me and wondering if the clock can move any faster. Take that time to thank a soldier. Take that time to thank an American hero.