MEANS ALOT TO ME

Has it ever come to your mind about all those soldiers that give their mind and soul to their job, and how are they reward? well bet you haven't heard about the medal of honor, it is only given to those soldiers that stand out in top of all the soldiers. The medal is not just anitype of medal it is a medal that gains every Americans respect even the presidents respect. The person that receives it, went beyond their job, it takes courage to earn it but hard work to wear it.

Each person gives their own meaning to the Medal of Honor, and to me it is the highest award an American can ever receive. the president is a very important person in America but still yet he has to salute the recipient, the president can only wish to receive the medal of honor than to be the president because the recipient get alot more respect for righting for there nation. By receiving the medal honor the recipient now has alot of work ahead of them and that's to represent America and to stand like a true hero to all the Americans.

In order for a person to be eligible to be awarded with the medal of honor they have to for beyond being an excellent soldier, it takes alot of courage because is not just about saving their own lives but risking theirs to save others. And alot of people stand up to fear to save lives and that's what distinguishes the recipient of the medal of honor from the rest of the soldiers. Not only do they go to war but they go representing their nation and they have the presure of making America the best.

"sometimes i think it was easier winning the Medal of Honor than it is to wear it." many soldiers say this because when they are doing their job as a soldier they are doing their best and not expecting a reward, but wearing it is a whole different story because now not just did they went to war but they are heroes and a hero has to always make the right decisions and make sure that they don't disappoint America. Making the right decisions and pleasing everybody is not easy at all.

The medal of honor is an award that is only presented to that unique soldier that has courage and outstanding performance the war and just did their job but gave their complete soul and mind to fight for the nation. I believe that the medal of honor should be respected and well represented because by wearing it they represent themselves and the whole 50 states that make up America.

THANK YOU

Dear: Technical Sargent Russell Dunham

Being a cadet in Farragut (j.r.o.t.c) Academy can be challengy specially when the neighborhood is not helping. And me as a 16 year old female living in Chicago Illinois i look up to people like you and the fact that people can be very successful, keeps me going on everyday. My name is Viridiana Delgado, I am the oldest child from 2 brothers. I live dreaming about becoming a Psychiatrist and owning a house in the state of California.

Very few people recognize the hard work that soldiers do to defend there country. and i want to thank all of the soldiers for risking their lives, but specially you Mr. Dunham. What you did in world war one was outstanding killing 9 Germans and wounding 7 while you were injured and fighting in the snow, was very courageous from you. You may think that by serving in a war your job is accomplished, but little do you know that your job still stands like a hero, you had taught me allot, by simply choosing to serve in a war and it means allot more to know that you were recognised with the Medal of Honor. "to be your best with out expecting a reward." is the lesson i learned from your actions.

Thank you again sir, for your bravery and for defending America like if it was your life. Thank you also for teaching me by actions which speak louder than words, and for making America for what it is known for "America the brave."

RUSSELL DUNHAM

DOB: February 23, 1920 Place of Birth: East Carondelet, ILRank: Technical SargentOrganization: U.S ArmyEntered Service: May 11, 1945War served: Worl War I

CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. At about 1430 hours on 8 January 1945, during an attack on Hill 616, near Kayserberg, France, T/Sgt. Dunham single-handedly assaulted 3 enemy machineguns. Wearing a white robe made of a mattress cover, carrying 12 carbine magazines and with a dozen hand grenades snagged in his belt, suspenders, and buttonholes, T/Sgt. Dunham advanced in the attack up a snow-covered hill under fire from 2 machineguns and supporting riflemen. His platoon 35 yards (32 m) behind him, T/Sgt. Dunham crawled 75 yards (69 m) under heavy direct fire toward the timbered emplacement shielding the left machinegun. As he jumped to his feet 10 yards (10 m) from the gun and charged forward, machinegun fire tore through his camouflage robe and a rifle bullet seared a 10-inch gash across his back sending him spinning 15 yards (14 m) down hill into the snow. When the indomitable sergeant sprang to his feet to renew his 1-man assault, a German egg grenade landed beside him. He kicked it aside, and as it exploded 5 yards (5 m) away, shot and killed the German machinegunner and assistant gunner. His carbine empty, he jumped into the emplacement and hauled out the third member of the gun crew by the collar. Although his back wound was causing him excruciating pain and blood was seeping through his white coat, T/Sgt. Dunham proceeded 50 yards (50 m) through a storm of automatic and rifle fire to attack the second machinegun. Twenty-five yards from the emplacement he hurled 2 grenades, destroying the gun and its crew; then fired down into the supporting foxholes with his carbine dispatching and dispersing the enemy riflemen. Although his coat was so thoroughly blood-soaked that he was a conspicuous target against the white landscape, T/Sgt. Dunham again advanced ahead of his platoon in an assault on enemy positions farther up the hill. Coming under machinegun fire from 65 yards (59 m) to his front, while rifle grenades exploded 10 yards (10 m) from his position, he hit the ground and crawled forward. At 15 yards (14 m) range, he jumped to his feet, staggered a few paces toward the timbered machinegun emplacement and killed the crew with hand grenades. An enemy rifleman fired at pointblank range, but missed him. After killing the rifleman, T/Sgt. Dunham drove others from their foxholes with grenades and carbine fire. Killing 9 Germans--wounding 7 and capturing 2--firing about 175 rounds of carbine ammunition, and expending 11 grenades, T/Sgt. Dunham, despite a painful wound, spearheaded a spectacular and successful diversionary attack.


I want to thank Technical Sargent Dunham for being a soldier in the U.S Army and his outstanding performance in the battle of World War one and for having a great courage to stand up for all the Americans. Taking part in such an important war like World War one takes great courage and only a few men like Russel Dunham receive the Metal of Honor to represent America. Thank you for all you done for this country and all the Americans.

The Bo0k

Its been another month and that means that i accomplished some new goals.. WOP WOP! a goal i accomplished was reading an exciting book. "Lady Q" was the tittle, that book is one of Raymundo Sanchez's book that talk about gang life and how it destroys you and your loved ones. I read the previous books and they were great because he knew how to express him self very well and new how to convince people not to join it, the book Lady Q was much more exciting because its from a girl version, Sonia Rodriguez is being interviewed by Rey. Sonia was a Lady Queen at the age of 16 by Humboldt Park, and had a daughter by the age of 18, she found her self in very bad situations when she had her baby girl, she was homeless in a different state, begged for money during Christmas, that's when she realised that in this earth she was completely alone. Her mother was a druggie and never cared for her or her 5 children. To be able to support herself and her daughter, Sonia began making huge amounts of money by drug dealing. This book made me cry to see how a human been can be destroyed by drugs and bad influences. READ it to find out about the details.

famous quote. A dream defered

" I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and little white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers" __by Martin Luther King J.r





This quote is like the main idea of the speech " i have a dream" that Martin Luther King J.r gave when African Americans were discriminated and considered as the lowest humans ever. This quote graved my attention allot because it was Martin Luther kings dream back then and still that dream hasn't come true. There are still people that are very races towards any race, for example people still criticise couples of different color skin, we supposed to be considered the same and people til this day get amazed when they see different skin color couples. Votes for a new president is around the corner and people are basing there votes in the race of the candidate.





Back then many African American people looked up to Martin because he had that great courage to stand up for freedom. All the people liked this quote because they also had the same dream. They wanted to be treated equal and wanted to have peace with the white people and be together like brothers and sisters. I think that allot of people also have this dream too.








What happens to a dream diferred?



Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore, and then run?
Does it stink like rottn meat?
Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?








What happens to a dream on file?

What happens to a dream on file?
Does it melt like ice in the summmer?

or does it bun like paper,

Does it smell like dirty clothes?

or is it crispy and sweet like cereal?

May be it just rots like fruit.
or does it swimm away??

DREAMING

Interviewing my mom and asking her questions about her American dream was not easy because she was cooking and hardly payed attention in what she was doing, but this is her American Dream...

Me: when you were in Mexico what made you take the decision to come to the U.S?
MOM: I Imagined that the U.S was a place were people get allot of money in any type of job you get, i also imagined Chicago as a very nice City. Since i didn't see kids having good futures in Mexico i decided to move to the U.S with you.

ME: Where you satisfied or disappointed with your life in the U.S?
MOM:I was disappointed in the beginning because i dint get a job where i was well payed but as years went by me and you father bought a house by little village. So that when my kids grow up yous don't have to be paying house payments or renting. And it is amazing how me and your dad don't get payed well, but we do have money to pay the house!

ME: What did you wanted to accomplish when you came to the U.S?
MOM: i really didn't imagine buying a house it seemed impassible for me back then, but i just came here so you and your brother can have a better future, me having a better job, and when I had only 3 months in the U.S i started to learn how to read and write English

ME: Did learning English help?
MOM: OH YES! it did help me allot, i was able to help my kids in there school work, and when i went to the doctor i understood most of what the doctors were saying. Everything i went to apply for a job the people spoke English but i already knew a couple of English so i understood everything i needed to know and got my way threw.

ME: Which dream you think is the most important to you?
MOM: Since i couldn't do much of my self to become a successful person, i know what it is like not to have a good job, and i don't want my kids to go threw all that pain like i did and i want them to graduate from College and have a Carrier.

ME: you just told me about your American dream until this point, but is it going to be the same 10 years from now? or will it change?
MOM: Dreams change as we grow older. I came to the U.S with one purpose only, and it was to make my kids life easier. But when my kids have a Carrier and they know there way threw life i think that my job is over and i want to have enough money to go back to Mexico where i grew up.

ME: Has your dreams came true?
MOM: No not yet only the one in buying a house, but my kids still need to graduate from collage. But i have hops that my kids end up with a carrier.

I look up to my mom alot and i always take examples from her, and iam proud of her because she never let go of a dream and she is astrong lady that has taught me alot, and iam sure that all her dreams will come tru.

Theres NO Harm!

Is heart breaking when a person destroys your dream is in it? Dreams are being destroyed when the government separates families. Each immigrant comes with a dream it might be to get a better job, a better education or some of them come to the United Stated to look for fame, just like Celia Cruz, a famous Cuban salsa singer that came with a dream of becoming a singer, and with a lot of effort she realized her dream. I believe that nobody has the right to destroy dreams so easily because it requires a lot of hard work, sacrifices, and time to accomplish a dream. Hard work for many years will be absolutely worthless because a cold hearted group of people just choose to separate you from your family and destroy dreams. Imagine that it took you 15 years to finally your dream and you also have plans in the future how would you feel if somebody just takes you apart from your family and send you to a country were you have to start dream goals over again.? I bet that if the situation was the other way around, when the legal citizens are the ones being separated by families and being discriminated will go insane and will have the need to speak up to the unfair treatment, just likeimmigrants do now.

There is a huge stereotype of Latinos and other races that immigrate to the united states, they are known as criminals, that is an incorrect stereotype. Me as a Latina I comprehend that there are about eight to ten Latinos, African, Chinese people that are involved in gangs and criminal acts. Many legal citizens always put this out to make it clear that we are the ones making the streets unsafe, but people are people and people make mistakes all the time that does not mean that documented people are perfect. There are many documented people that are worst than criminals and the gang members put together, that’s a point that I don’t understand, many U.S citizens that have documents and obviously have a better chance in getting a good job, but some off them don’t take advantage of that when there are immigrant families that are waiting to be documented. There are many U.S citizens that are out begging for money, while most of the immigrants always look for different ways to earn honest money, they are the best sales men in my eyes, they sell home made food, or sale things that they don’t need instead of begging for money. Immigrants should stay in U.S because they are no more different than documented people. Everyone makes mistakes regardless of there race.

Immigrants make a huge difference in the united states, regardless of the jobs they do that others wont, they have also made there cultures in U.S very popular such as the China Town, Mexican food, Italian food, and don't forget the variety of dances that Latinos have, and many white people enjoy other cultures and if it wasn't for the immigrants U.S wouldn't be known as a multicultural country. It is very true that not any people will work in the jobs that the immigrants work in, it takes only very humble people to do the dirty work that others don't want to do, but there are other people that earn their money in a different way that does require allot of work in the sense of the mind, and those are the people that work to pay the immigrants and the way that i see immigration, u.s would collapse with out them. but just like the U.S needs the immigrants, the immigrants need them to, like to get jobs, to get payed. Altogether we make a community with out each other we wont be as successful as we want to.

Glenn Beck's History of Illegal Immigration

My toughts relate to my mentality of immigrants. What would thhis country be without us.? i like a quote in the video that says. "agricultural workforce make up a central porpotion and without them the industry will collapse." i stongly agree with that quote, and most of the agricultural work is done by immigrants. therefore they should stay.






This video was great when i saw it... it has a tiny bit of humor, and it tells you about the basic immigratin issues. This video made it clearer about how the immigration started in the U.S, and how some presidents had an impact in immigration changes threw the years. Just becarefull the guy talkin (Glen Beck) talks to fast so try to capture the message.

WAY PAST COOL

Probably you have the same weird situation as i do! I have allot of cousins but the weird thing is that i don't get along with most of them only with about 5 of them. I would like it to be friends and treat them like family but even tho it was hard and weird to get along with them i actually did it. I started by going to my cousin LU's 18th birthday all the cousins were there i took out one of my cousins out to dance and from there we started talking and dancing threw the whole night ( i forgot how hard they knew how to party!), we even made an all cousins night out we planned to go to six flags for Halloween or just going shopping in the morning then go bowling and at night go to parties and sleep over my older cousins house. I feel happy with myself because i don't have to give them those killer looks every time we have family reunions, and its good feeling to know that family is always there for you when everyone else turns there back

The cousins

( theres alot more missing)

To get a higher rank is like an obsession for J.R.O.T.C cadets. they go nuts if they don't get a high rank. But my opinion about that is that if you really think you deserve a higher rank well then why not argue and be mad about it, but if you know that you weren't trying your best in being a better cadet why even bother to get MAD! common sense people! i always try to be honest with my self even tho the truth hurts. I did get a higher rank that i deserved. but i want to be even higher and am just waiting for the tryouts for the teams to start so i can join the color guard team and get a higher rank,wop-wop! so excited so wish me good luck and stay tuned to see if i made it to a team.

I WONDER

Hey there yall'. I bet yall all know of a special gift that you got since youz were born. I aint talkin' bout a toy car or a barbie but a gift that god gave youz. My name is Valeria Pates. Born and raised in Atanlta, Georgia and I knew it right away since I was born I was destined to be a poet. It aint easy to make yo' wish when your a SLAVE. Yes people I was wipe, sold like an animal, discriminated and you know the rest. My life was just like walkin' in hell since the day I was born,my dad died of a whiping and my momma died when I was just 9 months. She was found dead in the cornfields, the people say that too much sun can kill. My ol' master Paul Jackson took charge of me since.

By the age of 10 instead of goin' to sko' i would wake up at 4 o' clock in the morning to wash clothes but not in the washing machines like you Young folks do it now at days, but i would walk a mile with buckets full off clothes to the river, and wash in hand. My hands were always rough and ashy from washing 75pounds of clothes. I would also break big o' rocks so the men can use them to make a building. At the age of 16 the master bought an ol man in Mississippi to help out in the house like i did. His name was Mr. Jones. Oh' was he a sweet o' man he would treat me like his daughter. For the very first time i felt loved and valuable, he would cook for me, he taught me how to read and right, he would always put me to bed and read me a story. How i love feeling like that. He cared so much of me that he would take a wiping for me. One day i had spilled hot chocolate in the new counter the master had bought. i could feel my blood came rising up to my throat that i taught i was gonna choke that's how scared i was when the master found out about my mistake. Just as i taught , the master came yelling at me, "YOU STUPID BLACK THING YOU ARE WORTH NOTHING COMPARED TO MEE COUNTER." as he continued to humiliate me he burned half of my face in the fire that was near. i remember him saying "HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL." Mr Jones heard my horrifying cries and came to the rescue. He had push the master in the fire and carried me to the tub full of water so my face could heel. Thee master just had his leg amputated but still had enough force to tie up Mr.Jones in a tree and whip him til' he fainted and his shirt riped in small pieces. He was the devil i tell ya'.

I grew up hating all white people and being angry with the world. All my life i wondered if my luck would change, and i would become a famous poet sum day. My illusions of becoming a poet were decreasing as i grew older. But still i had two notebooks full of poems, full of hate. i had so much inside of me that i knew by writing poems i took out all my anger. Mr. Jones inspired me all the time, he would put my hopes up. He told me that one day we will be free. But i never saw it coming but one day i had the courage to escape and go to Canada in the underground railroad. Our Master had took us to Mississippi to sell us because we were getting to old for him i was 45 and Mr.Jones was 70. When we were taking a break and the master was asleepp we took off to the entrance to the railroad lead by a kind man named Harriet Tubman. Luckily i made it threw but not Mr. Jones. When i saw Canada i was like WHOA !! it was alot different than Atlanta. It was really cold and i started working as a babysitter and then meet one of the kids momma and she discovered my talent as a poet and i finally became what i always wondered to be. That wonder now became a wish come true.

VALUES come from______????

Everyone has a different way of thinking therefore we value certain things more than others. People develop there own way of valuating by examples of there families actions, there cultures, and not only does our values come from our families, but I take the media as a hug influence in our way of thinking one of them is our values. that’s were our values come from.
What I value compared to other people is very controversial due to how other people were raise An example can be a rich family with a poor family. A poor person might value material things such as a TV because they had to work hard in order to purchase a TV or other expensive materials. And that’s how they raise there kids, by showing them to take care of there things and valuating the things that were hard to reach. On the other hand the rich families wont value material objects as much because they really didn’t put so much effort to get it and they know that if they don’t take care of it they can buy it again. A rich family can value power,fame, fashion and popularity,and money. What we value also influences in what our media says. For example, in teen TV shows they demonstrate teenagers going out with friend drinking and going to teen parties and they also show how teens rely on there friends for every problem they have, instead of going for help to a family member. The media is sending a message to me saying that family is not important that is all about friends. TV is not the only source of media that can influence in what we value music and radios. The modern music lyrics talk about money, power and respect out in the streets, the music videos shows the artist exposing there expensive cars, big houses, jewelry, fashion, beauty. Us as teenagers can be influenced by the media in order to be the coolest person in school or the streets.

its me

Tell us something interesting you did that no one in the class has done

I believe that not most people eat peanut butter and jelly sandwich with pickles which is what i do.

Provide three adjectives about your self
Creative, joyful and active are probably three adjectives that describe me or my personality.

Brief history on your name

The meaning of Viridiana is joyful, glooming, and juvenile, but its known as a Latin female name

that comes from "viridis", meaning "green". The name viridiana was also a name of an Italian saint.

15 goals that i will like to accomplish by July

1. be organize
   
2. get a higher rank
   
3. get a job
   
4. join the softball team
   
5. get my driving permit


6. read an interesting book
   
7. get along with my cousins


8. learn how to cook


9. go to six flags
   
10. go ice skating to downtown


11. learn new tricks on roller-skating


12. get nose pierced


13. visit California in spring break


14. join the color guard team
    
15. visit the John Hancock