John F. Kennedy Hero Essay

John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Deserving Hero “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality” (Bennis). During his life, John F. Kennedy took his innovative and thoughtful ideas and brought them to life. Born on May 29th, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts, the Kennedys were a wealthy Irish-American family that was very involved with the politics of Massachusetts. Raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, Kennedy was the son of Joseph P. Kennedy, an American ambassador to Britain during World War II. His mother Rose, on the other hand, was a philanthropist who served as the family’s matriarch. Throughout Kennedy’s life, he attended private schools from his elementary school up to his university, constantly displaying his involvement with the student body by playing four sports and being a leading student. Later on he would also be greatly involved with our country by serving in the military, as a member of the House of Representatives, and as President. In times of anxiety and despair, Kennedy would carry out with his duties calmly and effectively; he had a drive to put the U.S. back on top. Acting with selflessness, having great leadership skills, and showing courage in dire situations, John F. Kennedy not only impacted the entire world with his inspiring speeches and revitalizing ideas, but he also shaped the United States that we live in today.
As both a leader and a citizen, John F. Kennedy consistently displayed his selflessness and how much he wanted to help other people. While stationed in the Solomon Islands during World War II, Kennedy endured a terrible hardship: “…when his boat was sliced in two by a Japanese destroyer, two of [Kennedy’s] crew were killed, while he and four others clung to the half of the PT boat that remained afloat. … In a 3-hour struggle Kennedy got the wounded crewmen to the floating hulk…he ordered his men to swim to a small island about 3 miles away, while he towed one man to shore in a heroic 5-hour struggle…days later