Daniel Lee Gilyeat

Showing his prosthetic leg (http://orangekite1.wordpress.com/category/american-flag/)

A hero is defined as someone a person will look up to for direction and astonishment. In a hero, we find great qualities. Among these qualities are strength, someone who does good, and courage.

When one thinks of strength, most think of physical ability first. Many forget that you can be mentally strong too. Physical strength is when you can basically fight off anyone and anything. Mental strength is the ability to be able to stand against heartbreak and others who may try to bring them down.

A person who does good is often thought of as a hero. One must help others and put them before yourself.

To have courage doesn't always mean that you face other people. One must have the courage to overcome people and their own inner demons that keep you from being happy.

(http://tickerforum.org/cgi-ticker/akcs-www?post=114142)

Daniel Gilyeat meets up to these expectations. This is why he is my hero. Daniel was born in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. He was raised in a poor home by his single mother. He was one of three children. He really had no direction in life. After going into high school, he struggled and later dropped out. While working in fast food for sometime, he refused to let himself fail. He later decided that he wanted to finish high school. For that reason he went to Montana to attend an Indian Job Corps Training School. Almost two years later, he obtained his high school diploma and a Trade Certified in Heavy Equipment. Soon after returning to Kansas, he joined the military. When returning to Iraq for the second time, his vehicle was hit by a road side bomb. He knew that something was wrong with his leg when he looked down and saw that his pants were shredded. He immediately went into surgery and had his leg amputated. He ended up losing his leg from the knee down. A couple days later, he returned home to his family with a prosthetic leg. His wife later divorced him; but reasons weren't provided in any source. He was left to raise four children all on his own. Not long after, he had his very own episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He had his entire house torn down and had a beautiful house built to replace it.

Daniel Lee Gilyeat is my hero for many reasons. He has both mental and physical strength. He faces everyday with multiple problems. When it comes to mental strength, he is raising his four children all by himself. When it comes to physical strength, he completes everyday tasks that would be simple for any normal adult. His physical disability doesn't stop him from doing any of his normal activities. After losing his leg, he still skiis, martial arts, runs and stays in great shape with exercise. Another reason I consider him my hero is because he has done many great things before and after the accident happened. He has put his life on the line for our country when serving in the United States Marines. After the accident, he has been speaking with families that similar things have happened to. Lastly, he has the courage to face everyday with his disability. Not only did he put his life on the line for his country, but he is a single dad and faces every day with hard struggles doing things that would normally be easy for him to do.

"Staff sergeant Daniel Gilyeat was born with a Warrior's Heart and he intends to use his tenacity and grit to bring about real change for Kansans" (A Man with a Warrior's Heart...). Someone of this nature has every right to be considered someone's hero; and this is why he is my hero!