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Transito Bonilla

by Xavier from Hawthorne

"Son, I am just a construction worker."I think not.

Can a construction worker be a hero? Or do you think that they are just an ordinary person? Well not this one. This one is most likely the most heroic man you have ever read about.

My father may seem like an ordinary construction worker to the untrained eye, but he is more than that. I don't mean that in the way as he is a skilled construction worker (he is though, he has many years of experience), I mean it in the way that he is not just an ordinary person. He grew up in El Salvador, and came to America to help support his mother and 3 siblings (he has 6 brothers and sisters, but half of them were already working, with no need of assistance), and the first job he earned was a carpenter. He would send money over to his (now ex-) wife and mother to keep them alive. After 6 years of living virtually alone, his wife came to America also, to live with him and make it easier to support his family of her, a daughter, and a son.

Although he has stayed in the construction working business for over twenty years, he did not always want to be one. In fact, during a father-son interview, he has revealed that he wants to be an engineer or an architect, designing buildings instead of actually building them. In the past, before he moved to America, he wanted to be a town policeman. As he says, he "wanted to protect [his] city from any harm that would probably not happen". His childhood hero was a policeman he read about in the newspaper who gave his life to save 3 innocent bystanders to a shooting, which I believe is why he wanted to be a policeman. During his carpenter career, he has suffered quite a few injuries, including a ventilation lid to the back, inhaling asbestos, and countless hammers to the thumb. He worked with one company for 14 years, but quit due to them starting to underpay him.

He is also a great father, and is always there for me when I need him, or when anyone else needs him. He lets his sister sleep over in our apartment while she visits from El Salvador just to see us, he drives me to places that I need to go to, and most of all, he cares for everyone.

He is my hero.

Page created on 3/5/2013 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 3/5/2013 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.