Howard Wasdin

Howard Wasdin was a US Navy SEAL who became a hero during the Battle of Mogadishu which was made famous by the movie "Blackhawk Down".  Howard had a tough childhood and grew up and joined the Navy. He later became a Navy SEAL. After he was retired he became a chiropractor. He is a hero because he kept fighting to save his comrades even after being shot 3 times.

Howard Wasdin was a US Navy SEAL who as an abused child but was fiercely loyal to his sisters. Howard was abused as a child by his step-father Leon, who beat him if anything wasn't done perfectly: "Leon was a truck driver, and when he came home, if he heard any pecans pop under his wheels, that were my a**." (Wasdin 27-28) Although his childhood was very harsh, the ruthlessness of Leon helped him in becoming a SEAL. He learned attention to detail so that no pecans would be left on the driveway. This attention to detail would help him as a SEAL so he would never have a parachute malfunction or a gun failure. Howard loved hi sisters more than anything and was fiercely protective of them. One time when Howard was 17, his sister Tammy came home crying: "We were playing volleyball at the church. When I spiked the volleyball, Timmy picked it up and threw it at me. So I threw it back. He grabbed me at put me in a headlock. Then he punched me on the top of the head."  (Wasdin  34) After Tammy told Howard, Howard went out and found Timmy because he loved his sister so much. Howard's loyalty to his sisters translates to him being a SEAL because he wants to protect his comrades against any threat.  Howard Wasdin was abused by his step-father but was loyal to his sisters and his fellow soldiers.

Howard on a helo before a raid on a ship. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2071112,00.html (Taken on the helo))

Howard Wasdin showed selflessness in the face of adversary when he kept pushing forward to save the downed helicopters Super 6 1, and Super 6 2 even after being shot 3 times. "It's a whole lot better to go up the river with seven studs than a hundred s*** heads." (Wasdin 147) This quote came from the founder of Delta Force, the Army's equivalent to the Navy SEALs. Wasdin knew that being in the right team meant everything because you know who will have your back when rounds are flying.  Wasdin was part of one of the most elite forces on the planet. He could always count on his comrades to have his back. He also had to have everyone's back. When two snipers appeared on a roof top, Wasdin and a Delta sniper had to move to take them out: "We need to move on these two or it's going to get real bad." (Wasdin 243) This shows that even thought there was lots of gun fire Wasdin ran forward to take out the two snipers to save the Rangers in the Humvee blocking force. He ran forward even though he had already been shot once. Howard Wasdin showed selflessness in the face of adversary when he kept going to rescue the downed pilots even after being shot 3 times.

Howard Wasdin was a US Navy SEAL who was an American hero during The Battle of Mogadishu when he showed selflessness in the face of adversary when he continued to try and rescue the downed helicopters after being shot 3 times. He showed loyalty when he was a child by doing everything to protect his sisters. He is an inspiration because he never gave up if he thought he could reach his goal. His children Rachel and Blake were instrumental in his not committing suicide when he suffered from survivor's guilt and depression. He went back to school to become a chiropractor. He never gave up and now lives happily in Georgia.