Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich

Kauzlarich awarding medals to soldiers (http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/24501_371323774992_110065279992_4752124_225078_n.jpg)

A hero is someone that will never shy away in the face of danger, no matter what the circumstances.

It is important to have a hero. When you have a hero, you have someone to look up to. A hero also acts as a role model, inspiring you to make the right decision in difficult situations. People without heroes don't exist, there are just people who haven't put thought into naming one.

Ralph Kauzlarich is a hero and a great leader. In the book, his favorite phrase is "It's all good" (Finkel 9). He would repeat the phrase every time the going got tough to encourage himself and his men to keep pushing and never give up. Kauzlarich always took difficulties in stride, like when the 2-16's deployment was extended by three months. He said "more time to win", even though he greatly missed his wife and children (Finkel 27). At other times Kauzlarich had to push his soldiers to do their jobs. Towards the end of their fifteen month deployment, a large string of attacks on their base occurred and when his soldiers wanted to forget about it and let the other battalions deal with the issues while they do nothing, he said "forget about how many days we have till we go home.” (Finkel 199).

Ralph Kauzlarich would make a great candidate for the hero hall of fame. All soldiers are great heroes for putting their lives on the line to protect the liberties of people that they may never meet, but Kauzlarich goes one step further. Kauzlarich does not let anything deter him from what he needs to do. For instance, when his battalion was doing sweeps of a neighborhood, a man invited him inside for tea and he trusted the man despite his security detail being against it. In another part of the book he gives young Iraqi children soccer balls and candy because he felt sorry for what the children were going through with the surge, showing that he is also compassionate.

Kauzlarich meeting a soldier in the 2-16 (http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/450x352/photos/1006/291357_q75.jpg)

Interviewer: Who is your hero?
Kauzlarich: Hal Moore, a commander during the Vietnam war.
Interviewer: Why is he your hero?
Kauzlarich: He was the heroic commander of the battle that helped inspire me to become a soldier, I even met him once.
Interviewer: Can you elaborate about when you met him?
Kauzlarich: Sure, he signed my copy of a book about his battalion in the Vietnam War and wrote “trust your instincts”.
Interviewer: Do you ever get afraid when you are deployed?
Kauzlarich: Yes, every time my group was attacked by insurgents I would see my family flash before my eyes.
Interviewer: Was there any other things that pushed you to become the hero you are today?
Kauzlarich: Yes, when I was a kid I saw videos of POWs being released to their families after the Vietnam War and it was one of the most touching things I have ever seen.
Interviewer: When do you believe a hero’s job is done?
Kauzlarich: It is done when anyone can let their kids run and play without worrying for their safety.
Interviewer: Do you see yourself as a role model?
Kauzlarich: I think that my soldiers do see me as a role model.
Interviewer: Why do you think that?
Kauzlarich: Because a role model is someone you base your decisions on and my soldiers have said before that they base their decisions based on what they think I would have done in the same situation.
Interviewer: Do you think your role model shapes who you are?
Kauzlarich: Yes I do, my role model was a soldier and his bravery inspired me to become what I am today.
Interviewer: Do you think that comic book heroes are good influences on children?
Kauzlarich: Comic book heroes are not bad influences on children, but they also need to realize that a hero is usually someone without a cape.