… He had a gift for French and his native Spanish and was honored as an outstanding professor in 2005 and the school’s company grade officer of the year for 2006.
Not bad for a kid who had to teach himself English.
“He pushed all of us,” his daughter, Air Force Lt. Emily Short said Thursday. “His word for us was ‘Don’t do it the hard way, the way I did.’”
Born in Caracas, Ambard never lost his admiration for his adopted land. When he leaned English, he sought perfection and spoke without an accent. He told his children to be grateful for the gifts that come with American citizenship.