Cold, dense air of a winter day is what this individual is use to. He does not shy away from a challenge and he always puts his best foot forward.

This individual’s name is Ed Bassett, aka Animal. Ed got his nickname from his mother when he was younger, and it just stuck. I mean, if you met him you’d understand why. But he ended up in a hot, moist climate which he called it a “living hell”.

Ed grew up in northern Maine, close to the mountains and in the areas where the snow fall during the winter was tremendous. When Ed was younger he was an amazing football player, and an even better ski racer. An overall amazing athlete. He was not the best in school, but got along with plenty of people and was widely respected by his peers.

But do not be fooled, Ed is one of the most intelligent people you will ever meet just did not take kindly to school. When he took his SAT’s he scored extremely high and eventually went into college for physics. From Physics he went into the company, BP, there he was the Vice President and controlled a large amount of the company.

Ed is very humble, and just says he was there at the right time to achieve the position. Everywhere he travels, people know him and he knows them. Bringing up different topics, mostly about skiing. Ski racing is his passion, no doubt about it. Animal competed against every age and won constantly. In his basement of his home, there are thousands of trophies and medals.

Animal went into the Marines and right after boot camp got sent over to Vietnam. There he was a sniper, he did not like to tell me much because it still haunts him to this day.

When Animal tries to sleep, dreams and the memories of killing the vietcong soldiers disturb his night sleep. Some people say a sniper is a coward, Animal says that it does not matter how close, how far you kill someone it still affects a person’s mental stability.

In all, Animal is an amazing individual, a person to look up to and realize how much he has done for our country and for our community as a whole. I have not met one person who does not speak highly of him. He is one of my role models in life and hope to become a little part of him one day.