Dadmartigan

I don’t remember how or when I first thought it but I remember telling my dad in a letter that, as a child, I had always imagined him as a combination of Indiana Jones and Han Solo. A professor and a rogue pilot… a rogue professor and a pilot. A swashbuckling gentleman built of confidence and craft in profession. A character in circles of influence, a man that matters on topics that matter. This idea and vision built my idea of male leadership and chivalry. This was an amalgam of identities and values I could place pop culture representation onto and reference in my mind. I carried this into my Marine Corps experience and was often disappointed by leaders that did not live up to this. I later reflected on the fact that I had grown up with an image worth living up to and had a nostalgic reference point in an external presentation or venue. I could watch George Lucas and Steven Spielberg films and think positive thoughts about my father. I then felt a drop inside myself when I tried to think of examples in media my daughter has to look up to and have a similar experience. What movie classics are there where she can see “her dad”? What #1 Blockbusters is her dad in? What men are portrayed as heroes that look like him? At the time, I could not think of any and it was crushing feeling. Perhaps a bit for myself but much more for her.