As a boy, I had a life-long dream to serve our country in the military. Coming from a family who had multiple members who served in the different branches of the military, it was a natural desire. To be able to wear the uniform and represent the United States was appealing, but because of some physical limitations, that dream was not to be.
The second role I would have loved to accomplish would have been to be an Olympic athlete and represent the United States on the world stage. My athletic prowess will never let me achieve that goal, but I am drawn to the Olympics to not only watch the athletes but to imagine how they must be feeling as they stand on the podium after having medaled.
This week’s extraordinary victory by female wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock epitomized what I feel when watching our nation’s athletes perform on the world’s stage. She become the first U.S. black woman in history to win the gold medal in freestyle wresting. But it wasn’t just that accomplishment that virally caught the attention of millions of viewers. It was her response to a simple question from a reporter and the love of country that gushed out of her that so many people found so encouraging. Check out her must-watch interview here.