#5 Lin Hao "Hero of China"

           Imagine chaos all around you. The ground underneath you is shaking causing buildings to fall. The ceiling above has fallen down to the ground. The school that you were just standing in has collapsed without any warning. Now escape. Wait, you are also in 9 years old in second grade. This is exactly what happened to Lin Hao.

On May 12, 2008 a 7.9 (Richter Scale) earthquake hit Sichvan Province of China. During the earthquake, 70,000 people died. Most individuals would run from danger not looking back at anything. However, Lin Hao is not like most individuals. 9 years old, Lin Hao’s school collapsed. Miraculous, he was able to make his way out of the building. After escaping, Lin went back in the unstable building to find his classmates. He was able to carry two unconscious classmates from the rubble. Other than a small bruise on his head, Lin walked away with no injuries. When asked why he went back he said, “I was the hall monitor, it was my job to look after my classmates.” 10 survivors lined outside of the school including Lin Hao. 10 out of 30 classmates made it through the earthquake. While waiting for rescue, Lin encouraged his classmates to sing. He thought it would raise the spirts of his friends.

As if anything else could not go wrong, Lin’s parents could not be found. A 9 year old boy walked to Du Jiang Yan. With his sister’s company, a 7 hour hike through rubble ended in him reaching a safe zone. Later, he was reunited with his parents.

“The Hero of China” lined headlines around China. To honor Lin Hao, he was asked to walk in the 2008 Olympics. Along his side was Yo Ming (a famous NBA basketball player). Lin Hao’s appearance showed that there is more to the Olympics. More than multiple countries trying to win a sporting event. Lin showed that bravery can come from anyone. Does not matter what age someone is or what country someone comes from. Anyone can show an act of bravery. It all depends on that individual.

              Lin Hao’s story blows my mind. A little kid showed more acts of bravery than I have my whole life. Not every day does a huge earthquake takes down your school. Most people would run to a safe zone not looking back at their classmates. We need more Lin Haos in this world. We need more Hall Monitors.