Grandpa began his military career in the Navy in 1939. He joined with his son, Paul. The Department of the Navy kept them fairly close together, allowing them to be in port at the same time so they could visit each other and spend time together. They were both in port in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. My uncle Paul was among the 1,177 who were aboard the USS Arizona.

After WW Ⅱ, Grandpa left the Navy and joined the Army, where he spent the rest of his career. His duty stations included Alaska, France, Italy, Germany, and the Philippines. When the time came, he worked as a doctor, saving the lives of many young soldiers.

Various European duty stations filled the years between Korea and Vietnam for Grandpa. My grandmother spent her time learning local recipes (食谱) and culture while they traveled Europe's lush (草木繁茂的) countryside, something I'm grateful she passed on to me.

Later, Vietnam War broke out, and Grandpa received a new set of orders, which brought a new set of worries for Grandma. But he still went, and she worried. Grandpa was severely wounded in the early days of the war, a gunshot wound to the early days of the war, a gunshot wound to the chest that grazed (擦伤) his heart. He spent a few weeks in an army hospital in Germany before being flown back the States and being sent to Walter Reed Hospital.

My grandfather was never a man to wait for very long, however, and he soon found a job at ICI Americas. Grandpa retired from ICI in 1988, though to allow another family member to seek employment there as company policy didn’t allow family members to work in the same plant.

My grandfather is such a great man. From his experiences I have learned that we should respect our national heroes; the ones who have died for us, the ones who came back wounded, as well as the ones who came back healthy — because they are all the greatest heroes.

   Many years ago，when I was in high school and working on weekends to pay for the extras that my family couldn’t really afford，I lost my wallet.

My old car needed gassing up. I prepaid and then put my wallet on the bumper（保险杠），and drove off. I hadn’t even had time to miss it when my phone rang and a man asked me if I had lost my wallet. I checked my pocket and to my surprise，I didn’t find my wallet. He asked me to tell him how much money was in it. He then told me where to pick up my wallet.

As I pulled into his driveway，I noticed his handicapped van（残疾人车）and the ramp going up to the house. I was thinking that there was no way this man easily got out of his van and got my wallet off the street. He had to pull over，get in his wheelchair，lower the lift，and then pick it up. I was just surprised. I felt grateful.

I knocked on the door and he told me to come in. I thanked him like 10 times for finding my wallet. I was stuck，though. While I didn’t want to insult him by offering money，I really felt like offering something. So I asked him if there was anything I could do to repay his kindness，and he said，“Just pass it on. ”I said I would be certain to do that. I was raised to be honest in any situation and I would have done so，without promising this fellow I would，but I wanted to repay his kindness，so I willingly promised I would.

I am writing to express my thank for your help when I was in New York. It was very kind of you to offer me a comfortable but clean room in your house. I like delicious food cooked by Mrs. Green, that made my journey more unforgettable. Hopeful, I will have the chance to taste them again in the future. In addition to, I really appreciate you practised spoken English with me. I had made great progress in my spoken English.

I really hope you can come to China for a visit when it is convenience for you.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

   If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Dreaming about whether you would want to read minds, see through walls, or have superhuman strength may sound silly, but it actually gets to the heart of what really matters in your life.

Every day in our work, we are inspired by the people we meet doing extraordinary things to improve the world.

They have a different kind of superpower that all of us possess: the power to make a difference in the lives of others.

We’re not saying that everyone needs to contribute their lives to the poor. Your lives are busy enough doing homework, playing sports, making friends, seeking after your dreams. But we do think that you can live a more powerful life when you devote some of your time and energy to something much larger than yourself. Find an issue you are interested in and learn more. Volunteer or, if you can, contribute a little money to a cause. Whatever you do, don’t be a bystander. Get involved. You may have the opportunity to make your biggest difference when you’re older. But why not start now?

Our own experience working together on health, development, and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives. It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.