Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich (schema-root.org)

Hero: A hero is someone who is willing to make the sacrifice for what they believe in. A hero is also someone who is also willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. They also are a role model or someone people look up to.

The Book Cover (lehmbooksandgifts.com)

Is it important to have a hero?
Yes, it is important to have a hero. People look up to heroes, and they are role models for people. People look at their hero and say, "I want to be just like him/her."

The Military Hero from the book "The Good Soldiers" is Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich. He is a battalion commander of the Army Infantry 2-16, "The Rangers." His battalion was apart of "The Surge" in 2007. Where they were in a vicious part of East Baghdad were roadside bombs were constantly going off. Lt.Col. Kauzlarich would say to himself everyday "It's all good" (4). This kind of worked as a morale booster. When he was on leave he even visited his severely wounded soldiers, "Everything you guys have done will not be in vain" (234). He was always there for them no matter what.

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich should be inducted into a Hero Hall of Fame for many reasons. First, he never gave up on his soldiers, no matter how bad things got. When a soldier died in action and they held a memorial service Kauzlarich was always there and he delivered the eulogy. When he was on leave to the US instead of spending all his time with his family he went to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio to visit some of his severely wounded soldiers. Also, he always encouraged his men. When they were off the base he always was confident in his soldiers. He would constantly say that they were winning the war, another morale booster. My final reason, is that he served his country and I think military personal should be automatic heroes for the sacrifices they make so we can continue our lives. These are the reasons I think Lt.Col Kauzlarich should be inducted into a Hero Hall of Fame.

Questions & Answers with Kauzlarich.

Q: What make a hero?
A: Somebody who is ready to sacrifice their life and give their all for something they believe in. They they are authentic people and are always performing at their best ability.

Q: Do you consider yourself a hero?
A: No, I don't consider myself a hero. I'm just doing my job. The men who lost their lives, they're the real heroes.

Q: Are heroes important?
A: Yes, we all need somebody we can look up to and respect.

Q: Would you ever want to be a hero?
A: Not really, as long as I'm a hero to my kids and family that's all that matters.

Q: Who is your hero, currently?
A: My heroes would be the wounded soldiers and the ones who gave their life for protecting their country.

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
A: My childhood heroes would be Iron Man, Captain America, comic book heroes like any other kid.

Q: What was it like in Baghdad?
A: Ehh, not too great at times, rockets being fired, roadside bombs going off, and wounded/deceased soldiers. I missed my family all the time.

Q: What was the worst scenario you encountered in Baghdad?
A: Receiving the news of a soldier's death, or witnessing it. It was really hard delivering the eulogies at the memorial services, that's the worst feeling.

Q: How would you deal with what's going on as a leader? How would you deal with it personally?
A: As leader, I knew casualties would happen, but you could never be prepared for until it happened. Same with the roadside bombings, and the mortar attacks, you knew it was going to happen, but not when. Personally, I dealt with it by my personal motto, "It's all good" and reading bible passages.

Q: What does it mean to you, being a battalion commander, to be a leader?
A: It means that I always need to be prepared for any scenario and always bring my 'a' game.