Loung Ung

Alexander Graham Bell, an inventor, once emphasized, “When one door closes another door opens, but we look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.” But most heroes are those who look beyond that closed door because they are strong, determined, and open-minded. A hero is a great role model and an extraordinary person. Heroes do amazing deeds for the world and they never give up. A Cambodian hero is the great author and lecturer Loung Ung.

The brave Loung was born in 1970 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. When Loung was five she was forced to move to the countryside, and by the time she was eight her parents and two of her siblings had been killed by the Khmer Rouge, Cambodian Communists, and she was forced to be a child soldier. She and her brother escaped to Thailand and then to the U.S. Loung had a hard life and that is why she speaks against landmines, war, forcing children to become child soldiers, and domestic violence.

Loung Ung is a national spokesperson for a landmine-free world. She is one of “100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow.” She has received an award (APALA) for “Excellence in Adult Non-fiction Literature.” Loung works for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. She has been featured in many magazines. Loung is not only a hero to Cambodia, but she is also a hero to the whole world.

The beautiful Loung Ung has some terrific qualities of a hero. She is brave, caring, and unselfish. Loung is definitely brave because she ran away to Thailand with just her brother by her side. She is caring because she came back to Cambodia to make sure her family and friends were unharmed. Loung is unselfish because she cares about everyone before herself.

In conclusion, many people can be a hero to their family or even their friends, but only one who is true to oneself can be a hero to the world. Loung has gone through the death of family, and experienced pain. Even though those things have happened, Loung never gives up. She just keeps trying and trying for a better life. Loung Ung is not only a great person, but she is a terrific hero.