A Real American Hero

6-26-2010
Day 113 of 365: It's been two weeks since I last posted an entry on my blog. That's the longest I've gone without a post since I started this thing almost 4 months ago. The reason is clear: the World Cup has taken over my life. Even now I am forcing myself to write something at 8:30 Saturday morning, when I normally would either be asleep or getting ready to go to Seoul, because I know I might not have a chance to write for several more days. Since the World Cup started, my schedule has been as follows: go to school in the morning, come home mid-afternoon, watch soccer in the evening and go to bed late after the games are over. It's no wonder I've felt more exhausted lately at school. I even skipped out on going to Seoul last Saturday so that I could watch Japan vs. the Netherlands. What the...?! One thing I can say is that at least I'm saving money. This is also a good time for me to write because the group phase, which is the first round of the 32 team tournament, is over. Tonight begins the matches for the final 16 teams. I've cheered primarily for two teams - USA and South Korea, who were considered underdogs to make it out of the group B. They both made it to the next round and will be playing tonight. I'll be wearing my "All the Reds" shirt for the SK vs Uruguay game at 11pm, followed by my G.I. Joe shirt to watch the US play Ghana at 330am. It's been very exciting for both countries and also for me, since I'm now connected to both.

Question: What do you get when you cross David Beckham, Lance Armstrong and Pearl Harbor? Answer: Landon Donovan. Two weeks ago I wrote about the South Korea team and the hero of SK, Park Ji Sung (last entry: All The Reds). Well the US now has a hero of our own. These two teams really know how to pick their team captains. As much as Ji Sung's brilliant play has kept South Korea alive throughout the tournament, "Captain America's" goal in the 91st minute of the USA's match vs Algeria to seal a 1-0 victory and a spot in the final 16 is the most dramatic moment of this World Cup so far. In the USA, where soccer is the 4th or 5th most popular sport at best, he's uniting divided sports fans and bitter rivals across the country under one cause. And the best part about all of this is that, as far as I can tell, he's actually a guy that you want to cheer for. He's the feel-good story that America hasn't had in a long time. He's not Bonds, Tiger or Kobe. Landon Donovan is one of the good guys. In a country that's full of sports scandals and political incompetence, he's a hero in country that is currently lacking heroes...even if it is only soccer.

It's also fitting for me to talk about heroes since my school had me give a speech yesterday on my grandfather's serving in the Korean war. July 25th, 1950 is the date that the Korean war began, and every year they have a memorial in South Korea to honor those who fought and died. Korean people especially honor the Americans who served to aid them against the North. During my time here, many people, including the principal of my school, have asked me if I had any relatives who had served in the war. After telling him about my grandfather, he asked me to be part of the presentation to honor the 60th anniversary of the 6-25 Korean War (as they call it). My grandfather died 2 years ago, so I had to speak to my mother and grandmother for specific stories and details. Above are a few pictures that I received from my mother. The men who serve and defend our country are the real heroes, and it was an honor for me to tell my grandfather's story.