Dear Grandpa:

You are my biggest hero. Your story of serving as a Navy medic in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War has inspired me. Your story of attending medical school afterwards and becoming an officer in the Navy Reserve has pushed me to give it all I got all the time. And even when you were old, grandpa, you still made an impact on many people's lives including mine. Although I only knew you for four years, you showed me the world. In fact, you were my world during that brief amount of time.

Thanks to you, grandpa, I have been planning on joining the military ever since I was in seventh grade. However, I believed that getting that degree in college is something my father and you wanted for me to obtain before I head off into the real world. This year, I know that I cannot wait to walk across that stage in May 2017, but at the same time, I will be feeling a bit of nostalgia for the campus that I have known and grown to love so much. I know this sounds really ridiculous, but I cannot wait to go to basic training, get pushed to my limits by my drill instructor, and earn the title of United States Marine. I cannot wait to earn the right to wear dress blues and be someone every young American can look up to. I know it is going to a grueling three month journey in basic training without wifi, without an iPhone, and without family, but I know in the end it will be worth it. Grandpa, you have shown me that if you can get through basic training, it is possible for me to achieve the same thing as well.

As Kylo Ren said: "I will finish what you started." That I will definitely do for you, grandpa.

-Love,

Miku