Achilles the Wrestler

“You and your opponent want the same thing, the only difference is who is willing to work harder for it.” -Ben Askren  

It was down to the final moments, of the Milwaukee Area Dual Meet Championship. Achilles  was locked in a brutal match between him and last year’s state champion. The odds were against him. But Achilles had a secret talent. He was unbeatable unless he was pinned on his heel.

It was the beginning of the first of three periods Achilles was unable to pin Odysseus but was able to pick up a good 6-0 lead. By the time the last period had occurred Achilles was still holding up a good lead against Odysseus. Achilles had said, “I got this”.  This meaning that the match he was in now could easily be won and come out on top.  Odysseus had met with his coach and revealed Achilles weakness.

Achilles’s weakness is simply his tendon jointing together your gastrocnemius muscle with most of your heel bone.  Now just know as our Achilles tendon.  This is because in Achilles was dipped into the Pewaukee river when he was a baby and this made him invincible.  Where his mother had held him while he was submerged into the river was his ankle.  

When Odysseus and Achilles faced off for the last time, Achilles tried his signature “leg ride” move, to try to bring him to the ground. Odysseus was caught off-guard and fell to the ground. Achilles then put him into a half-nelson and prepared to pin him for the win. Odysseus quickly turned and grabbed Achilles’ ankle. Achilles could not fight against him anymore and was defenseless; he then fell to the ground. Odysseus easily pinned him down winning the match and beat the unbeatable.   

Odysseus Then and Now

Author's note:

This is a piece comparing Odysseus in the "Trojan Horse" story to more modern installments of the same type. I also tried to put in A-B transitions

In every battle since the dawn of humanity, there have been leaders. Some good, some not. Some fighting for what is right, some not.  But in the classic story "the Trojan Horse," the leader of the Greeks, Odysseus used his cunning abilities to outwit the enemies, and claim victory. After learning this story, countless movies/ media have centered around this idea of manipulation. 

King of Ithaca, Odysseus was the main Greek war commander in the Trojan War. After ten years of bloody fighting, he wanted to put a stop to it once and for all. He used his ingenuity to create a large wooden horse to be placed inside the walls of Troy containing a small amount of Greek soldiers. The Trojans were manipulated into thinking the Greeks had ran off and left them a peace offering. Once inside the walls Odysseus waited for the larger attack around the city had begun. While Troy's military was occupied by the attack they did not notice Odysseus and his soldiers wandering around the city killing certain leaders. Troy had been manipulated and cost them their lives and city.

As stated earlier, this concept has been replicated in media for years. One of the most recent and popular occurrences happened in the recent video game COD: Black Ops II. Where the main terrorist against the UN surrendered to the US planning to be brought aboard their command center. While he is being detained, his soldiers begin an all out assault on the center. While the entire force is occupied by the attack, he breaks free. While wandering around the ship he executes the head commander. He then makes his way to the database and uploads a virus to hack their entire military network. He then uses the technology to make his own army, cripple the US military, and use the weapons on countless innocent cities. The US had been manipulated, and it had cost them much more than just a city. 

United States Army

Author's note:
This is my last piece for the year, and I wanted to do it about something that I am really interested in. I did it about the US Army' s origins .

Since the birth of our country we have needed a force to protect us. The first armed force to be born was the Army. When it was started we were at war for freedom against England. It met the needs for a force that can protect us almost anywhere. Now they still remain to protect us.

When we were fighting against England in the Revolutionary war, we needed a force that could lead the fight on land. That was the army. They saw conflict on many different battlegrounds. They ultimately lead to the victory against England for freedom.

While the war was raging there was a "safety crisis" going on back in the homesteads. The population did not   feel safe with just the local militia forces protecting them. But when the Army started fighting they had a more trust in the fight. They were at piece knowing that they were going to be safe with the Army protecting them.

 One of their bloodiest battles happened in the Invasion of Canada in 1775. Here they fought along with the Canadian militia against the British Quebec and the British army. They were completely outmatched and was one of the worst losses for the Americans. But later in the war when the Army was back to fighting, they were able to rebound from this loss and make-up with huge victories.

Since the dawn of America the Army has been there to stand guard. They fought time and time again against our enemies to keep us safe. They were brought up with honor in one of America's darkest days. And they still remain to keep that.