Great American Hero?

Question

Who do you think is a great american hero? I have to do a speech about a great american hero! I have thought about doing a soldier any more ideas?

My teacher wants us to think outside of the box and do one that hardly anybody will think of!

Answer 1

George Marshall- 5 star general. The general I admire the most. He put the country first before his own. Army Chief of staff during WW2. Could have been the D-Day commander had he wanted to .Probably the most respected American soldier of all time.

Douglas MacArthur_ #1 in his class 1903 West Point. Youngest Superintendent at Westpoint. Youngest General in WW1. Youngest Army chief of staff at the age of 50. One of the few to hold the 5 star rank. Most decorated American soldier. Conqueror of Japan. Liberator of the Philippines. Most controversial U.S. soldier.

George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley and the lists goes on and on.

My top two picks are MacArthur for heroism and bravery and George Marshall for selflessness and being respected by politicians.

Answer 2

Try General Doulas McArthur. McArthur was a brilliant, egotistical man who, as William Manchester aptly entitled his book, was the "American Ceasur". His speech to the cadets at West Point in 1962 after his retirement is one of the finest and most moving speeches of the 20th century.

Who was this man?

Along with George Patton, the biggest egotist in the American army during WW2. Constant self promotion, a staff of lackys and PR people drumming up his image at every opportunity.

A great military leader. His troops had far fewer casualties, comparatively than other theaters.

His greatest achievement, however, was in peace. Never has a conquered nation, Japan, been treated so well. McArthur didn't want to punish the Japanese, he wanted to change the basic makeup of the society. He did it by several means:

He established a vibrant and active democracy, removing the military dictatorship that had ruled Japan.

He allowed all Japanese to vote - and this included women.

He allowed labor unions and permitted dissention and political debate in Japanese politics.

He removed the Emperor from the role of a god but left the Chrysanthemum Throne to stay in place as a symbol but not a diety.

He introduced a constitution that was based on the United States' Constituion, enshirning freedoms of religion, assembly, the press and speech.

His masterful handling of the Korean war will go down as some of the finest military thinking of the 20th century. His holding of the Pusan perimeter, the final toe hold on Korea as well as the landings in Inchon to attack the right flank of the invading North Koreans was masterful

His greatest error, and the error that ended his military career was his outspoken demands to bomb the bridges linking Red China with North Korea. President Truman, not wanting to enlarge the war to China itself, opposed this. McArthur kept pushing it in meetings with the press and Truman fired him. Right or wrong, the Constitution says the President is the commander in chief: McArthur forgot the chain of command.

I have inclued the link to the speech below. It is well worth reading as it truly is brilliant. "Duty, Honor, Country". McArthur was a great American.

Answer 3

There are so many great heroes and naming one does NOT diminish from the greatness of others. I would have to say Abraham Lincoln. In 1864, there was much pressure for him to end the Civil War by recognizing the Confederacy and allowing them to keep their slaves. I understand that he cried in the Oval Office when he heard about all the battle deaths. He even hand wrote a sympathy letter to a mom who lost all 5 of her sons who were serving in the army.

Answer 4

Great American Non-Military Heroes . . .

Martin Luther King, Jr. is the first who jumps to mind for me. Any of the "Founding Fathers" (Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, to name three).

There's also Upton Sinclair ( http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jupton.htm ), whose book "The Jungle" started reform in food industry and began a boom in investigative journalism -- which was important later on when Woodward and Bernstein broke Watergate in the early seventies.

Answer 5

I would do a report on Audie Murphy (THE most decorated individual from WWII)
or I would think about Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham.
(He recently received posthumously the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving his fellow Marines)

Answer 6

Go to this link and read about an everyday hero who gave his life "That Others May Live"

http://www.answers.com/topic/jason-d-cunningham

The next link has a lot more info along with eyewitness accounts, and interviews. It's a good way to understand what a hero goes through and how he takes care of his teammates and others under his charge, especially a medic in combat.

http://www.pjsinnam.com/War_on_Terror/Cunningham/Cunningham.htm

If you need anymore info email me.

HOO -YAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Don't limit it to soldiers. Include all branches, including Coast Guard and Army National Guard.

Research what role each has separately to work together to get a job done.

Answer 8

The first person who comes to mind is Pat Tillman. He gave up a multimillion dollar football contract to serve in the Army. He died serving his country. How many people can you think of who would give up money and football fame to serve their country?

Answer 9

TRY "CHESTY PULLER" FROM WW2 AND KOREA....MOST DECORATED MARINE IN HISTORY. QUITE A STORY.

Answer 10

Do one on your teacher. That'll be a major asskiss.