When the word hero comes to mind, many think of Superman; the fictional superhero who wears a cape and flies. When I think of the word hero, I think of my father Michael DeMennato. He may not wear a cape, but he is just as much of a hero, if not more so. Everyone has someone they may admire or look up to, whether it’s someone they are close to or someone in the media they resonate with; for one reason or another they are your hero. For me, my dad is my hero because he has given me the best life I could hope for, even when I didn’t deserve it.
I never needed to worry if I would go hungry, or if I had a place to sleep. He always made it happen. Even in the rough times I knew I could look to him, and I could count on him. He would go days, and sometimes weeks working just to ensure that my family and I would be alright.
My father is a Battalion Chief for the New Haven fire department, which meant long nights with him having to stay at the firehouse. He missed a lot of holidays, sports games, and everyday occurrences which I knew was hard for him. But that was my father, he did what he had to do even if it meant missing something like Christmas. There would be days he’d come home from working a 24 hour shift, just to wake up and do it all over again.
He has the determination and selflessness I hope one day I could possess. It’s what I admire most about my father, and the thing I am most grateful for.
As a child I always felt like my father was present, and set a good example of what a good father and husband should be by stepping up to help with the household duties, cooking dinner, and helping my mother wrangle my sister and I.
I looked up to him so much growing up that I was willing to do anything to spend time with him when he was home. I started watching baseball with him at night, which introduced me to softball.
One day he bought me a little pink glove, which led to us throwing it in the backyard for hours. I started playing in leagues and my father was always involved. He was at every practice and game he could make it to. When he couldn’t make it to a game he ended up watching the live streams through his phone or keeping in contact with my mother to find out the score.
I will always cherish those moments in the backyard between my father and I. Those little moments showed me how much he cared, and how much he loved me. When I look back in the years to come, those memories will always be the sweetest.
I look up to my father’s ambition to be better and always continue his education. In addition to being a firefighter, my father went back to school a few years ago to become a professor at the University of New Haven.
I remember my father leaving after dinner to go to classes or watch him while he sat and did his homework into the late hours of the night. He did this all while having a full-time job and two demanding children.
While becoming a professor, continued his studies to move up the ranks in the fire department. Throughout his career he took three tests to move up to the rank of Battalion Chief, which is not an easy feat.
For those who aren’t familiar, going into the department you start out as a private where you can study and test to move up the ranks. Once you test you make it on a list in order of how well you performed. Depending on how high you are on the list determines when you’ll be promoted, if you ever do.
As his daughter, I am so proud of how far my father has gotten in his career. I’m so proud in fact, every time the question “What does your father do for a living?” is asked, I get excited to boast of my father’s accomplishments.
Now that I’m older, I can understand how hard it is to actually go back to school. I have a deeper respect for him. He went back not only to better himself, but to have the ability to provide more for our family. His determination, grit, and ambition pushes me to do well in school. When I want to give up on assignments or choose an easier path I think of my father.
If he could do it, I could do it. His hard work allows me to go to school and pushes me to succeed, because I can’t let my hero down.
