John F. Kennedy

JFK with his son. (www.angelfire.com/ jazz/jfk_jr/)

Many Americans are heroes, but we just don’t know it. John F. Kennedy was one of those heroes, and he was a very well-known one. I think he was a hero because of these qualities: leadership, bravery and eloquence. A hero is someone who has all these qualities and uses them to help people and make the world a better place. He told people, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” That meant people should start doing things that would help to make the world a better place to live in. It also told people that the president was not the only one who can make a big difference in the United States and the world. It meant that all can make a difference no matter who they are or what they do for a living. You only have to look deep inside yourself to find out what you can do to help others. He was trying to inspire people to their own greatness.

First, John F. Kennedy had strong leadership skills. He was a highly respected lieutenant in the Navy. John F. Kennedy led his troops into battle and brought them out safely. He had the ability to make tough decisions in difficult situations. He showed leadership through his job as a senator from Massachusetts. He helped draft many policies for the Democratic Party. Finally, John F. Kennedy led the people of America as their 35th president. He successfully ended the Cuban Missile Crisis by placing a naval blockade around Cuba in 1962. JFK’s leadership ability gave Americans a sense of security and the knowledge that their leader could protect the country.

To be a good leader, you also need to be brave because you have to be able to make decisions that may affect millions of people’s lives. The second quality that John F. Kennedy had was bravery. He was brave when he went back into a sinking ship to rescue three of his boatmates in World War II. That meant that he was not only brave, but he valued human life, putting his own safety second to the lives of others. He went back inside the ship to save soldiers he probably didn’t even know. The next example of bravery is when JFK stood his ground when Cuba threatened to fire missiles at the United States. He set up the naval blockade that deterred Cuba from launching their missiles. The last example of bravery that John F. Kennedy showed was when he rode in Dallas, Texas without the suggested bullet proof glass on his car. He rode in a convertible with the top down so that spectators could see him because he was a president of the people.

The third quality that JFK possessed was eloquence. He gave convincing speeches and he had a lot of charisma. People just enjoyed being around him and they liked to hear him talk. All the speeches he gave were quick, but they had a lot of effect on the people. His spoke very fast. He could talk at 350 words per minute. You need to be eloquent to be a good speaker, so you can inspire people.

Throughout John F. Kennedy’s life, he demonstrated leadership, bravery and eloquence. When I think of him, I think of someone who changed the world and became an American hero doing it. I think that when all people think of John F. Kennedy, they should think of some of these things he did to make this country a better place for us. To me, JFK said that it is better to help other people than to do things just for yourself. When we think of John F. Kennedy, we should think of a hero that influenced the world.