2010 Lehman graduate Kristen Ulu and Lobo principal Elsa Hinojosa celebrate the recognition Kristen received this spring from VFW Post 12058, the Prudential Company and President Obama. (Photo by Connie Rosales)
by JIM CULLEN
Heroism isn’t something high school students usually think about much. For that matter, it isn’t something most of us think about a lot until we either read about a soldier’s sacrifice in a faraway place or – worse – the story becomes personal, as when that soldier is someone dear to us.
Just-graduated Lehman High School student Kristen Ulu is an exception when it comes to thinking about heroism. She’s given it serious thought and written about it for the “Voice of America” essay contest. She was recognized by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12058 for that essay (winning a $250 scholarship), as well as for her volunteer efforts in their behalf. Kristen’s volunteerism was additionally recognized by the Prudential Company this spring and she received a letter from President Barack Obama.
“Does America Still Have Heroes?” is the name of an essay Kristen wrote this year, and it reflects a young person’s realization that there are things that transcend everyday concerns. Finding her own sense of what constitutes a hero and writing about it was important to the Lobo senior.
For almost three years now, Kristen has been volunteering for Post 12058 activities, getting to know its members and taking part in its activities. She says that included “parades, motorcycle rides and just having a good day spending time with the members.”
Why does she do it? “Because the people of that post are like family – loving, caring and very open-minded. They’re wiser than many and have more experience than most people. Their stories and lives prove it,” she said.
“Plus, they’re more fun than any adults out there. They know how to live.”
They are the reason she’s given thought to the question of heroes and heroism. Veterans of foreign wars do bring stories of heroism home with them and it can be refreshing to have a young person interested in hearing them.
A brief scan of Kristen’s award-winning essay reveals her thinking. It suggests a belief that American soldiers are today’s everyday heroes. She writes that soldiers, not fictional comic-book characters Superman or Batman, should be what we think of as heroes when the term is used.
“The pain each hero in a fictional movie feels is the pain that a soldier feels each and every day away from their country and away from their homes.” She cites General Douglas MacArthur’s onetime statement, “The soldier, above all people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
Back at home, Kristen has found friends in whom she obviously finds her own brand of heroism. It’s obvious when she says that they’re “such a great inspiration and influence on so many lives that doing volunteer work for them is more of a pleasure than business.”
The favor has been returned with VFW Post 12058’s recognition of its young supporter.
