Pancho Villa

"Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know that you can lose" (Thomas Krause).  Pancho Villa was born into 1878 in San Juan del Rio, Mexico. He was the first born of five children to a poor Mexican family of the low class called the peon class.

Pancho Villa is my hero because he was both courageous and a skilled organizer.

Pancho Villa is my hero because he was courageous.  In Encyclopedia of the World, Villa is described as a man struggling to make a difference against great odds:  "Without formal education, Villa learned revolutionary goals from association with Francisco Madero and his movement. Villa rebelled against the Porfirio Diaz regime and, because of successes as a guerrilla fighter, his knowledge of the terrain, and his skill as an organizer, was given the rank of colonel" (Encyclopedia of the world biography. Gale, 1998).  By rebelling against the Porfirio Diaz regime, he risked his life knowing that if he was to get caught he probably be sent to prison or worse he could have been killed.

 Pancho Villa is my hero because he was and a skilled organizer because "Madero and Villa, together with other military leaders, planned their objective--the takeover of Ciudad Juarez" (Dictionary of Hispanic biography. Gale, 1996). After winning the battle Villa was put to the rank of colonel because of his great organization skill to take over the city. With the win in the north there was an uprising in the south that was led by Emiliano Zapata. This led to the fall of the Diaz regime. Villa went to the capitol of Mexico with other rebel officers to take control of the government.

  Pancho Villa was spirited because he stood up against the president when no one else would and inspired others to help him with his cause. I think he is a hero because he inspires me to stand up for what is right and benefits others.

"Pancho Villa." Dictionary of Hispanic Biography. Gale, 1996. Biography In Context. Web. 17 May 2013.

"Pancho Villa." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography In Context. Web. 17 May 2013.