The person who has had the biggest influence in my life is my Pepere, John Dick. Because my Pepere was the bravest man in my family he taught me not to have fear but also much about love and family. I was close to my Pepere when I was young but he passed away early in my life. Learning about accomplishments he had in his life is what has made me admire him so much. I am very proud of the fact that I can think about my Pepere as being a war hero and a loving family man.
             The fact that my Pepere grew up on a farm in Lisbon, Maine tells me a lot about him personally. His father worked in a lumber mill and my Pepere would often have to help with the farm work. I have a lot of respect for a person who does physical labor. It shows that the person is a hard worker, it takes a strong man to work on a farm every day. He worked on that farm until he turned sixteen and enlisted in the army. I can not wrap my head around what he was thinking to lie about his age to be put into the army. It must have been a strong need to fight for his country.
             I feel a debt of gratitude to my Pepere for teaching me what being a man is all about. Sadly he was not able to teach me these things himself while he was alive. I have read quite a few newspaper articles about him though. He was called the "one man army" in one headline for single handedly taking a hill over in Korea while saving his wounded commander. He received many different awards for fighting in Korea. These include three purple hearts for wounds, a Legion of Valor medal, license plate and a Distinguished Service Cross that was awarded to him by the President. My mother even told me that he was on the cover of Look Magazine. I have never seen the picture though.
             I remember few things about my Pepere. One of the few things that I do remember is before I would walk into the door to his house a freshly popped bag of popcorn would be waiting for me. That is the way t...