Neil Armstrong

 Born August 5^th, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Neil Armstrong had always had a love for airplanes. At a young age of 7 Neil stared taking jobs doing work such as mowing lawns to earn money for flying lessons. The lessons only increased his love for flying and several years later Neil became one of the most known astronauts in the world.  Neil accomplished many things in his life and became a hero to many. But he had to overcome many obstacles along the way to get there. Throughout his career Neil demonstrated bravery, perseverance, leadership, and determination.

                As Neil began to get more comfortable flying airplanes, started flying more and more. He eventually joined the Korean War. During one of his missions the plane was damaged by a cable. Neil had to make an emergency escape and jumped out of the plane with a parachute. This was one of the events that his bravery stood out to me. Neil almost died but he was brave enough to jump out of a falling airplane in order to survive. But the main event where he showed the most bravery was when he was the first man on the moon. Nobody had ever done it before and nobody knew exactly what it was going to be like. But Neil Armstrong was brave enough to be the first. This was a huge step in America's study of space.

                In 1962 Neil went through a very rough time. His three year old daughter Karen died of a brain tumor. This was obviously very hard for him and his first wife Carol, but Neil got back to work. He was able to keep working with NASA and studying the science of space. This was a huge example of perseverance because he could've given up on his job and focused on the lost life of is child, but instead he did his best to keep helping with NASA because he knew they needed him.

                On his first space mission, Gemini VIII, Neil was elected commander. During the flight there was a malfunction with a capsule. Neil fixed it while they were flying and saved not only his life but his crewmate's life as well. This was an example of Neil's leadership abilities. H is able to take control in a situation.  That's a very good characteristic to have because depending on the situation he could save lives.

The last characteristic that stood out to me was determination.  He and his first wife Carol Held Knight filled a divorce. This was though on Neil because at one point they had been happily married. But Neil was determined to keep accomplishing things. He got remarried in 1956 to Janet Shedron and they had two kids together. So although he went through something tough he was able to get back up and keep going because he was determined.

Over the years, Neil has become an inspiration and a hero to many. He lived his life to the fullest from day one and was still living it until August 25^th 2012 when he died of sickness and old age. During his 82 years of life, Neil has shown bravery, perseverance, leadership, and determination. These qualities are what have made Neil Armstrong a hero.