George W. Bush

(norway.usembassy.gov)

My hero is the renowned, fearless, valiant President George W. Bush. Through his actions he has made our country a better and safer place. After the 9/11 attacks, he, with the help of Congress, founded the cabinet level U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prevent further attacks. This is an example showing that my hero is someone who is concerned for the safety of his country and is willing to do anything to protect it.

George Bush was born on July 6, 1946 in Midland, Texas. He was the son of George Bush Sr. and Barbara Bush. He had five siblings: Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Dorothy, and Robin (who died at age 3 in 1953). He attended Midland Public Schools until seventh grade, and then attended the Kinkaid School for two years after his family moved to Houston. Later, he went to Phillips Academy, a boy’s boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts.

(timesonline.typepad.com)

After graduation, he attended Yale University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in History. He was a member of Yale’s Skull and Bones Society of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was commissioned by the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. He received his Master's in Business from Harvard, the only president to ever receive an MBA. In 1977, he married Laura Welch, a school teacher and librarian. They had twin girls, Barbara and Jenna.

Throughout his life, George had many careers. In addition to the Texas Air National Guard, he ran an oil exploration company, Arbursto Energy, which became Bush Exploration. His company merged with another called Spectrum 7, but it declined in the terrible Texas economy of the 1980’s. His family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1988 to help with his father’s presidential campaign. After the campaign’s success in which his father won the election, he moved back to Texas in 1989 and bought a share of the Texas Rangers baseball franchise.

(4president.org)

George decided to run for governor of Texas. He easily won the election with his main focus on domestic violence issues along with education on drugs and their abuse. He was elected for a second term, but decided to run for President.

In 2000, Bush was made the official Republican nominee for the presidential election, running against Vice President Al Gore. He chose Dick Cheney as his running mate. He was declared President on November 7, 2000, although the race was so close that many votes had to be recounted.

After only six months in office, on September 11, 2001, tragedy struck America as terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and crashed them into the Twin Towers in New York City. It is the first time that America has been attacked on the homeland since the War of 1812. Bush offered immediate response. The night after the disaster he addressed the country from Manhattan, where the World Trade Center had fallen. His confidence and determination to not let the terrorists beat us, brought hope to people. He promised change in security in the skies and on the ground. He kept his promise. He approved the forming of the cabinet level U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prevent further terrorist attacks in America. President Bush cared about our country’s well-being and took the steps to make right the problems in U.S. security. He is a selfless person and he always put his country’s needs before his own.

George Bush also has concerns for kids, like me. With the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, he attempted to create higher standards for children’s education. This act required that all public schools release a yearly standardized test, and that each student must reach the requirements set by their state. It also states that if a student is in public school and his or her school is declining in academic excellence, he or she can move to another school in the district.

George Bush doesn’t just care about America’s well-being, he also cares about the state of the world. In 2002, Bush sent troops into Afghanistan to remove the Taliban, a group of terrorists who had taken over Afghanistan and were giving safe haven to Al-Qaeda, another terrorist group who was thought to be responsible for the 9/11 attacks. This was considered part of the worldwide "War on Terrorism." George Bush wanted to give help where he could. Under his oversight, more money than ever before was given to Africa to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, a disease that has afflicted so many there.

He saw that there was trouble in Iraq. The dictator Saddam Hussein was posing horrifying threats to the safety of his own people and to the world. He was also not following the rules given to him by the United Nations. The U.S. and George Bush and their allies liberated the Iraqi people. The U.S. attempted to stimulate a democracy in Iraq, though the success of their government and their stability still remains unknown.

In 2004, in a run against Senator John Kerry, Bush was re-elected for a second term. Many people were surprised because people had blamed him for the problems that arose from the invasion of Iraq. George Bush continued to do what he thought was right.

Through his second term, Bush continued to focus his efforts on the War on Terrorism, as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the economy began to decline, he was blamed for it. He tried to help the economy even before the stock market crashed. During this time, the accusations from his opponents kept on coming, yet he continued to do what he thought was right for the country. He wasn’t mad at the people that accused him, he tried to see their point of view, a true sign of a leader.

At the end of his two four-year terms he left the White House when Barack Obama was elected President. To me, it was a sad day to see a great president leave office, knee deep in accusations and controversy.

President Bush is a fearless leader, a wise individual, and above all, a caring person, who will always be remembered for his great character, his humility, his perseverance, and his respect for people around the world. This is how he inspires me. It will be up to history to judge the success of his presidency, but I will always look back at him as MY HERO.