Everyone needs a person to look up to, follow, and use as a role model. For me that is my grandfather, Dave. Dave is strong willed, hard working, respectful, and has many other great qualities; therefore, he is my hero. I am a very lucky person to have him as a grandfather.

“Growing up was one of the hardest parts of my life.“ Dave said. He grew up in a family of four. Times were tough financially for most in that period. There wasn’t extra money for entertainment, so like other children he played sports. Dave told me, “Sports are a great way to stay out of trouble.” As a kid he attended Lafayette schools in Hammond, Indiana. While growing up his character began to show.

I asked my grandfather what he wanted to be when he was a kid. It took him awhile, but he replied, “I guess I always wanted to be a teacher.” It wasn’t long after adulthood that he achieved this goal. For almost thirty five years Dave taught Biology to high school students, and he coached high school football. Seeing that he met one of his goals it shows me that he is hard working; furthermore, becoming a teacher shows that he cared about giving back to his community.
Because he was from a middle class family, he had trouble raising money to go to college. After high school, Dave joined the Marines. This is an achievement that I respect about him the most. He gave four years of his life to his country, to become a better person, and to raise money for college. The Marine Corp is known to be the toughest branch of the military. It would take perseverance and a strong will to succeed in this branch.

Most of Dave’s life has been a success; however, he has failed. I questioned him about not meeting one of his goals. My grandfather chuckled and said, “Yes, I wanted to be a pilot, but my eyesight would not allow it.” Just like an epic hero Dave has faults.
Eddie Fields, Dave’s high school football coach, inspired him the most. He told me Eddie was very tough, but truly cared about each of his players. Since he had inspiration and looked up to someone, I can tell the Dave has respect for authority.
Although my grandpa met many of his goals, he has one that was his favorite. When we discussed this he told me that getting all four of his children through college was his favorite goal he met. The sacrifices he made shows deep respect for his children.
Without a doubt, my grandpa is one of the most humble men I have ever met. With a life based on success I think it would be very difficult not to brag or boast, yet I have never heard him do either. This show what a modest man he is. This is another reason I would like to follow in his footsteps.
I asked my grandfather if he had new goals at age 76. Dave responded, “Improving my golf game! Even though you succeed you can still improve some part of your life Dave proved to me with the above quote.
If I had to pick a person like Odysseus it would be my grandfather Dave. He is like Odysseus because he was a soldier and he cared for his family for all of his life. He also failed to meet a few goals in his life showing that he is an epic hero like Odysseus. Lastly, he set and achieved many of his goals just like Odysseus did to reach Ithaca. These are a few similarities between Odysseus and Dave.
My grandpa is an extremely strong person. He set goals all through his life and accomplished most of them. He is strong willed, unbelievably respectful, and humble. This is what I have learned from being around him. He is probably one of the most inspirational and motivated people I have ever met. I am truly fortunate to have him as my grandfather.