Friday 14th June 2019
This Father’s Day 12-year-old Megan Neve shares with us why she thinks her dad and RAF Benevolent Fund Ambassador, Matt Neve is a real-life hero.
I am here to tell you about my hero dad. My dad is a true inspiration, a quality every hero should have. I look up to my dad and I hope I will be as inspirational and determined as he is one day.
My dad is not just a hero to me but a hero to many others as he is an Ambassador for the RAF Benevolent Fund. The Fund is an amazing charity that helps the families who need support, and their loved ones. The Fund has helped our family so much and my dad wanted to repay by using his story to help encourage others to come forward. By my dad using his story he can show others you can get over any challenge and you can achieve your goals and inspire others.
Another reason my dad is a hero is because he was in the Invictus Games and won a gold medal. The Invictus Games is an event for wounded, injured and sick veterans or serving personnel. When I say sick, I don’t mean having a sick bug sick, I mean really sick and needing help. Most of you forget about the mental side of things you think because you can’t see it nothing is actually there but you don’t understand how much they really suffer on a day-to-day basis until you really know someone with a mental disability. People find it harder to cope with a mental disability because other people ignore it as they can’t see it. Next time you meet someone you don’t know stop and think, ‘maybe they have a mental disability, I might have to be careful what I say’.
An important factor of why my dad is my hero is that he was in the Royal Air Force. He left school at 16 and joined the RAF but was medically discharged at 20. He could have left school and chosen a different career but he decided to try to make the world a better place to live, for everyone. My dad made a difference, so should we.
Many of you reading this might be thinking how can a family member be a hero but all people are the same, it’s what they do that makes them such an inspiration, such a hero. Not many people can say their dad risked their life to save theirs.
What is a hero? Is it someone who flies through space, saving the world, or is it someone who is mega famous and has millions of followers on Instagram or Twitter? To me a hero is someone who makes a difference to your life and that’s exactly what my dad did. He showed me you don’t have to be perfect because nobody is. If you found a perfect person you would be the most amazing explorer ever.
My dad showed me you can overcome any challenge and if you remember that you will succeed.
See also: Military support organisations
