The leader I admire the most would have to be my grandfather, David Matthews Kinch. He died on October 2nd 2009 but the mark he left behind from the life he led was extraordinary. He came from the family of poor farmers, learning never to take anything for granted. His childhood made him tough and the army made him tougher. He went threw a lot in his life but always kept his head high and a smile on his face. I admire his strength, courage, positively, attitude, generosity, and wisdom most of all.
My grandfather’s strength would have to be the most admirable. At times when others would have given up, he kept moving forwards. He let anyone lean on him when they weren’t strong enough to stand, metaphorically or not. My grandfather was a Vietnam veteran. He told me lots of stories about what happened over there. Some of the things he did only made me admire him more because I know that I would never have the strength to do it. He came back early with lots of metals including a purple heart and a bronze star. He stepped on a land mine and was told he was never really going to walk again. Most of him ended up being made of metal, but he walked again always leaning on his trusty cane. After that he always got sick so easily and was always in and out of the hospital for the rest of his life. I would worry so much about him but he would always come out on top. He knew that if you wanted something you had to work for it and be strong enough to get it.
My grandfather wisdom was something everyone that knew him wanted. He was always the one who everyone always went to for advice. He was a member of Mensa and never got tired of helping people with anything. He was a big lover of philosophy and learning from your mistakes. He believed that was how one truly learned, was not by taking advice from other people or doing what people say, but by learning it yourself in your own way.
My grandfather courage was amazing. He never let fear keep him down and he never showed it. He went threw about five different marriages before meeting my grandmother and having my mother, aunt and them my uncle. After the war he became an alcoholic. He have nightmare that would keep him from falling asleep for days. He tried to stop because he knew he had to. He had the courage to stop and face reality. He fell off the wagon a few times but when he found out my mother was pregnant with me he stopped completely. The things that happened in Vietnam, saying I will walk about, and saying I will never give up no matter what, had to have taken a lot of courage after all that he had been threw.
His attitude towards things was inspiring. When ever he walked into a room you could see it getting brighter. No matter how bad things were, he always found the brighter side of things. Even if you were an extreme pessimist, you couldn’t help but think positively around him. When he was determined, there was no stopping him. He determination made him very stubborn at times. My grandfather was very likeable no matter who you were. Everyone always found something they liked in this man. He wasn’t totally optimistic, he never let his hopes get to high because there is always room to fall. He thought realistically. No matter what a person did my grandfather always found it in his heart to give a person a second chance and forgive them for what ever they had done.
My grandfather was generous and supportive. Always think about others before him, even when he could afford to. As long as everyone had what they needed he didn’t care what he had. My grandfather was supportive me in everyway. He encouraged me to speak up when I had a good idea, to be a leader, he was supportive of my thoughts and ideas, love of science, art and poetry. What ever I did he loved and supported, even if he didn’t totally agree with what I did. When I messed up and fell he was always there to pick me up.
After my grandfather died, my family started falling apart. He was the glue keeping us all together. My aunt moved back up here from Nevada, but we still never see her. My uncle is distant from everyone and my mother just isn’t the same. My grandmother is still crying every night and sadly I must admit that I have changed as well, but a hero death always impacts everyone who they touched. Everyone in my family knows how close my grandfather and I were and at his funeral I knew I had to be the strong one now that he was gone. Everyone agrees that knew my grandfather, that I am much like him. But that’s because I want to be. Who wouldn’t want to be like my grandfather? My uncle is much like him as well and I look up to him almost the way I did to my grandfather.
My grandfather, David Matthew Kinch, impacted everyone he knew before and after he died. Everyone he knew thinks back to the things he said or did. They think of his courage and strength and move forwards, they think of all the wisdom that he shared and get smarter, they think of how he was and his generosity and do the right thing. He will always be my hero and the leader I will most admire. I only hope that one day, I can be at least half as good a leader as he was.