More Than A Grandfather

More Than A Grandfather

My grandfather has had such a huge impact on

my life. Why, you ask? It’s because of the

kind of person that he is, and all of the things he has accomplished in his life. He has been

successful at every thing he has ever done and has never failed at anything he has ever tried. He

worked so hard for everything that he has and at one point he had to work two jobs to support his

wife and four kids. He has always been a great provider for his family. I can only hope to be half

the person he is. My grandfather has been my strength and inspiration throughout the years. His

kindness, love and good examples were stepping stones for me to follow.

John B. Martinez was born to John Martinez Sr. and Dora Martinez on November 11,

1929. My grandpa was born and raised in the wild and rugged terrain of Colorado Springs, Co.

He was the youngest of five children, and was raised during a tough time in our history, the

Depression Era. However, his family was rich in other ways, they had each other and they had

the land they lived on, which was filled with magnificent aspen groves that blanketed the many

slopes. To my grandfather their land was like his playground and his jungle where he could do as

he pleased. His playground was as broad as his imagination and as a child he had many

adventures in his jungle. During the summer, he and his friends spent countless days at a near by

watering hole, diving in and swimming to escape the hot summer days. In the spring they would

run through the wildflower filled foreground, as he described it I could see the light violet Showy

Daisies, lemon yellow Sunflowers, baby Blue Bells, and the pink Mountain Dandelions. In

the winter when the water would freeze over, they would ice skate and have snow ball fights.

My grandfather was a very successful man in life. When he was seventeen years old he

started work picking cotton in the local farms and would bring every cent he earned home for his

parents. He shortly enlisted in the Air Force on November 20, 1946 where he trained to be a fire

fighter. Even though he was away from his family he still sent money every month. Later he