Profile Essay

Barry Rose

Profile Essay

            “Actions speak louder than words.” Just one of the many sayings my father always said. He had a few he liked, but I believe this was his favorite. He is a very proud man, with great morals. He served in the Vietnam War in the Marine core. He is the type of man where you never had to guess how he felt, he was more than happy to let you know.

            Being the oldest of six, he had the responsibility of caring for his siblings. He was not able to enjoy the joys of a usual childhood. He had the burden of helping his struggling parents, hold the family together by working very young, and acting as another parent to the other kids. There were no summer camps, vacations, or free time for him. Only changing dipers, cleaning the house, and going to work. He once told me “The only time I felt like a normal kid was at school”

            After he graduated high school, he joined the Marine’s. He felt that he had already been living a very structured life and believed it would be a smooth transition. He was right. He was finally able to be the man he wanted to be, not another parent in a full house. Although there were many guidelines he had to follow in the military, he enjoyed the fact that he could be himself.

            He doesn’t talk a lot about the war. Only some stories of partying and having fun. The parts about the war itself he keeps to himself. I can only imagine some things he’s seen, and had to do. He was a gunner on a helicopter. Sometimes he provided ground troops cover, other times he went pick up troops. He once told me of a story where luck was on his side. One day he was not feeling well and decided to take a nap. He found a spot in the laundry room, and fell asleep on a pile of sheets. He awoke and found out his unit had been called in for a rescue mission. Another soldier was called in to replace him, because he could not be found. His helicopter was hit with enemy fire, and a few soldiers were wounded. If he hadn’t taken a nap that day, he could have been shot, or killed.

            He enjoyed his down time while overseas. He enjoys more stories of these times, than of the war. As a teenager back home, he was unable to party because of the responsibilities at home. He made up for that while in the Marine’s. However, one story he has told me, started as a party, and almost ended in tragedy. My father and his friends were having a party on the beach. They had all been drinking, and had a few too many. One of his friends decided it was a good idea to go for a swim. Unfortunately he was so drunk, he forgot how. Luckily for him, my father didn’t forget about him, or how to swim. Noticing his friend had been missing for a while, he decided to look for him, and saw him beginning to drown. My father swam out and saved his life.

            When my father was done with the military, he decided he wanted to continue saving lives. He became a fire fighter. He loves his job, and is only two years away from retirement. If it were up to him, it would be many more years, but because of his age (fire fighters are forced to retire after 65) he must retire. Because of the way his parents raised him, being a fire fighter was not his only job. He is also a Carpenter. He is a very hard worker, and at one point in his life, had gone years without taking a day off. Even days when he was sick, he worked through it to provide for his family. He would always tell me “To succeed in life, you must have self confidence, self discipline and maximum effort.” I try to live those words daily, as my father has. He has set a great example for me to live my life. If I become half the man Kenneth Barry Rose is, I will feel I have made him a proud father.