Leonardo Alonzo Research Paper

“Everything I have done in my life has been to provide for my children.” That’s what you’ll hear my dad say if you ask him about anything he’s accomplished in his life. He is a very proud and hardworking man. Even now, at 60 years old, he works harder than most 20-year-olds do. As a father he has always told us, “Nothing is handed to you; everything you have must be earned.” Leonardo Alonzo Junior was the firstborn child of Teresa Cisneros, a migrant worker, and Leonard Alonzo, a truck driver. He was born on April 9th, 1956 in a ranch called Los Quiyotes near his hometown of Laredo, Texas. His mother developed diabetes at a young age and lost a leg due to complications from the disease. Because his mother and father had never married, …show more content…
He was stationed in Pensacola, Florida and was trained to be a medic. Shortly after arriving to Pensacola he was given the news that Victoria was pregnant. During the four years that he was a medic, he rode around in the ambulance and helped them with anything they needed. One of the things that he remembers to this day is being handed a dead newborn baby and having to carry it in his arms all the way to the morgue. Leonardo’s navy career was cut short by the arrival of his third child that made him realize that he needed to be home to be with his family. Even though he was only in the Navy four years he said that he was taught that it is “important to be punctual, dependable, and responsible for your actions.” He has used this mentality in raising his children and has taught them that everything they have the must earn. Shortly after exiting the navy he started the mechanic program at Del Mar Tech in Corpus Christi, Texas. He graduated in 1980 and shortly after moved to Laredo to open his own mechanic shop. In 1988, shortly after the birth of his seventh child he was forced to close his shop down due to the economy. He was offered a job as an arborist in Wisconsin, so he packed up all his familys belongings put a mattress in the back of his truck loaded up his kids and headed up north. Unfortunately his new job didn’t pay enough for him to provide for his family; cost of living up …show more content…
After weighing out his options he decided to head to Minnesota and do field work. Shortly after arriving relocating to the small town of Willmar, he enrolled in college and joined the carpenter program, earning his certification in 1994. This new certification helped him provide for his family, yet again, in 2004 the economy dropped and he was jobless. His daughter who was married and lived in Pampa, Texas informed him that there was an abudance of jobs in the oilfield and the pay was great and cost of living was low. He moved to pampa and worked in the oilfield until 2015 when he was laid off once again. Getting a job at the age of 59 was almost an impossible task for Leonardo, but he didn’t give up in 2016 he was offered the opportunity to have a CDL Hazmat certification program paid for, he gladly showed me his certification of completion and his drivers license showing all of his endorsements. To see this man who had a hard life, smile over something so little would fill anyone with joy. He is currently working with a small company located in Canadian. At the age of 60 many would have given up, but this man doesn’t know the meaning of the