John F. Kennedy

JFK (http://www.whitehousehistory.org/ 04/subs_pph/images/uploads/35/29.jpg)

During this essay I would like to convey John F. Kennedy's love for peace and his ability to still fight for the safety of America. I chose JFK to be my hero because of his many heroic qualities that I value like fairness. I also valued his love of staying in shape. Thinking positively and living a healthy life is something I think is very important. Determination is another important trait. To me, John appeared to have an amazing work ethic. This is evident because he was youngest president. He must have made a good impression on a lot of important people very fast.

(http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/days/cuba_missile_map.jpg)

John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He did many things to help his country.

One of his most important missions was stopping the Cuban missile crisis. On October 1962 an air reconnaissance discovered pictures of nuclear weapons in Cuba. The next morning John was informed of this potential crisis. "He immediately organized the EX-COMM (nineteen hand picked advisors to JFK during the Cuban missile crisis.) After seven days of guarded and intense debate within the upper echelons of government, Kennedy decided to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. Eventually the Soviets offered to remove the missiles on the condition that the United Stated promised not to invade Cuba." (library.thinkquest.org/11046/media/fourteen_days.doc)
The next day a U-2 was shot down over Cuba. Another letter from the Soviets announced that they would remove their missiles from Cuba if America removed missiles from Turkey. John agreed to the first letter and the Cubans removed the missiles for the promise of no future invasions.

U.S.A (Internet)

John did many more things to help his country. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced his ambition to get an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade. His goal was achieved on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander, Neil Armstrong stepped off the Lunar Modules ladder and onto the Moon's surface. "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

John F. Kennedy was not always successful, for example the Bay of Pigs. "The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful attempt by United States-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow the government of the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. On April 17, 1961 about 1300 exiles, armed with U.S. weapons, landed at the Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the southern coast of Cuba."
(http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1765.html)

Kennedy not only handled war well but he also managed the economy. John's "economic programs launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War II. JFK's administration is synonymous with the "New Frontier." JFK's administrative programs became the foundation for major growth in welfare and regulatory agencies, civil rights, as well as business and labor unions."
(http://www.history1700s.com/store/john-f-kennedy.shtml)

I agree with the quote, "Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" by Shakespeare. I think that JFK was born into a great family. During all of my research I never found one piece of evidence that reflects poorly on him; this leads me to believe that he was always a great man.

Out of all of JFK's many heroic qualities my favorite is his selflessness. My favorite story of an act of his selflessness was his time in the Navy. During his stay in the Navy "in 1943 when his PT boat was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, Kennedy, despite grave injuries, led the survivors through perilous waters to safety."
(http://webdata.soc.hawaii.edu/fredr/HallNames.html)

I also believe that John also valued selflessness very highly, especially when you consider his most famous quote reflects selflessness. "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."

JFK and wife (Internet)

To end this essay, I would like to talk about the end of JFK's life. The very famous JFK assassination took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas; "at 12:30 p.m. JFK was rushed to Parkland Hospital, where a tracheotomy and other efforts failed to keep him alive. He was pronounced dead around 1:00 p.m." Texas requested his body be removed from their state. He was flown back to Washington aboard Air Force One with his wife Jackie and his successor, President Lyndon Johnson. He was later buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Around 2:00 p.m., Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of murdering President Kennedy. Oswald was interrogated through the weekend. When he was supposed to be moved on Sunday morning the 24th he was shot and killed by a local nightclub owner with connections to organized crime named Jack Ruby. Even with Kennedy's short time in this world he will still be remembered to do more good things than many do in their entire life.