September 26, 2010

  • Profile Assignment

    hey luvs

    i had to write a profile for one of my classes about an "interesting person". i'm not sure i know what a profile should be like but we were told that it has to have: "a strong focus/angle and answer the question 'Why is this person worthy of a feature story?' It cannot read like a biography or cover letter for the individual". did i manage to do that???

    and i went over the word count limit, is there anywhere i could take out words or rephrase something to make it shorter? are there any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors or anything like that? so without further ado...

    Goodbye Superman, Hello Super Frog!

    Hero and Family Man, Ben Boulet Says It’s All About The Right Attitude.

    He has driven a tank, flown a plane, and rappelled from a helicopter. He endured harsh situations, made sacrifices, and protected those weaker than himself. He is not Clark Kent or James Bond but something better: a military man. He is Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Louis Georges Benoit Boulet of the Military Police but, now that he has retired, his friends just call him “Super Frog.”

    Boulet’s interest began when his father served in WWII, exposing him to all things military. He enrolled in the Air Cadet in 1963 but transferred to Regular Force by 1969. Boulet began his military career as a private but made his way through the ranks, serving nearly every facet of Military Police, before becoming CWO.

    In the thirty-six years he served, Boulet received numerous commendations –namely that of the Order of Military Merit (MMM). This medal was given to Boulet in 1992 by Canada’s Governor General on behalf of the Queen and is the military equivalent of the civilian Order of Canada. Nevertheless, Boulet does not consider this the most rewarding moment of his career; that he reserves for Operation PARASOL. Boulet was the SSM of the Kosovo Camp of Refuges at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Trenton, Ontario.

    Do not be fooled though by Boulet’s success. Life in the Military Police is not just a job that allows you to travel to exciting places; there are dangers as well. Boulet says his worst moment was when he went to Yugoslavia as part of a six-man bodyguard team for the Provost Marshall. It was his job to keep the crowd at bay and Boulet had no choice but to knock people away with his gun. It was a situation in which Boulet had to keep his rifle “cocked and ready.”

    It is rumored that Boulet also has the abilities to be a sniper but that has never be confirmed. “He can outshoot me any day of the week,” admits a friend and member of the Service Riffle Shooting Association. “He is quite serious about his work in the military […] I would trust him with my life.”

    When Boulet is asked if he had seen combat, he answers with just this word: “Classified.” He will say one thing about his shooting skills though: “Carole [his wife] is a good shot. While in Germany she beat me at an international shooting competition sponsored by American Forces.”

    During his military career Boulet kept his wife and children with him. It was only when, in 1996, he was asked to do a UN post in Cyria for a year that his family was not following him. To Boulet his family is everything: “When around my wife and daughters and grandchildren, I’m in heaven.” Boulet’s wife stood by him throughout his entire career. “She was there for me and now I’m there for her,” Boulet says before joking, “It’s payback time!”

    Those who know him consider Ben Boulet a loyal and devoted friend, courageous and heroic. But Boulet says life is about having the proper mindset, “[It] is what you make it, it is all a question of attitude.”

    SUMR