4th Of July Is About So Much More Than Fireworks

The fourth of July concerns the birth of freedom.... There were patriots who risked life and limb to seperate themselves from an oppressive government... there are patriots who have fought to preserve out free and democratic nation against tyranny for these last 230 years... the rows of Arlington speak of their and their families sacrifices for the better good of the rest of us! Here is a letter that was passed on to my friend Janis who wife of the 150/155th walking and talking miracle man SGT Norris Galatas. It is a letter written to a military blog by a dad who lost his in Iraq... his son gave all so that our nation might continue and so that the people of Iraq can one day live in the bright light of freedom and liberty! Thank you for sharing this letter Janis! Thank you for always serving our country by supporting our military like you do! You are a true angel on this earth! Norris you know how we all feel about you; miracle man! And Mike that you for serving and sacrificing your life for us! And thank you Robert for sharing your story with the world! Your son will never be forgotten!


July 4, 1985: A divorced dad of two years and his three year old son climb on a bus ride to a rail station, and transfer to the train going downtown to Atlanta. The bus / rail transfer cost the dad 50 cents of the only three dollars to his name till pay day. They had packed a lunch and small cooler of canned cokes to picnic on the curb of Peachtree Street in the heart of downtown. At times, the little boy would sit atop his dad's shoulders to get a better look. They spent the hot afternoon clapping, cheering, waving an American Flag, and having the time of their lives as they celebrated freedom and watched the parade. 50 cents and an hour and a half train / bus commute later, and they were at the bus stop a half mile from the dad's apartment. The little boy's legs tired quickly and his dad carried him most of the way home.

Back at the apartment, getting close to time to think about supper, the dad asked his son what he wanted. CHEEZE PITZA the little boy called out, can we have cheeze pitza? The dad couldn't possibly buy his son a pizza, much less tip money for the delivery. So, he did the next best thing he could, and put his son on his shoulders and across the street they went to a grocery store to buy a Chef Boyardee cheese pizza mix. Mix with water and bake 25 minutes or so, and you have CHEEZ PITZA for about a buck fifty. The dad still would have 50 cents till payday.

With Chef Boyardee in hand, the dad and his little boy headed to the cash register. But at the end of the aisle, he ran into a young lady who went to the same church the dad had visited off and on for a few months(an elderly friend who was like a mom had asked the dad to come and sit with her after her son died in a train accident in February). The young lady said she was there with a friend from work and they were moving into their new apartment near by, and then she pointed her friend out at the register. The dad turned to look and an amazing thing happened - his heart lept - love at first sight. He said to himself "I am going to marry her". They didn't even make eye contact at first, and then the young lady at the register looked their way - kind of impatient like. The friend said to the dad "gotta go, see you at church" and out the door they went - without even an introduction to the other young lady. All this time, the little boy doodled around with the Chef Boyardee CHEEZ PITZA mix proudly clutched in his little hands.

On the walk home, the dad couldn't stop thinking about the young lady he had just fallen in love with and didn't even know her name. The little boy,riding on his dad's shoulders, was singing at the top of his lungs and waving the box to others "we gonna have CHEEZ PITZA tonight, we gonna have CHEEZ PITZA....". As you would expect, a buck fifty box pizza mix with water added can't be that great, but the little boy loved it. His dad barely touched it, hardly choking down one piece. Maybe because the dad thought it tasted like cardboard, or maybe he was so smitten with love..

Several weeks later, still trying to figure out how he could meet this young lady, maybe even get her phone number, the dad was at the church he was visiting, and out walks his "love at first sight" to sing in the choir. After church, the dad managed to fumble around and find an excuse to speak to her and eventually got properly introduced - but didn't get far enough along in conversation to get a phone number But, in that day "information" or 411 was free and the phone turned out to be a listed number. For the next three months he would call and hang up when the young lady answered - good thing no caller ID or call return. At church, he barely managed to fumble out small talk with this young lady. Go figure - a dad 32 years old who survived a tough divorce, has his small son half the time to care for, works full time in pipeline construction management, and goes full time to law school at night - choked with fear to talk to this young lady.

Finally, after nearly three months, the dad forces himself to call this young lady - when the young lady answers, the dad swallows hard, and mumbles a nervous "hello, this is...." to which the young lady excitedly says hello and the conversation takes off. The young lady eventually asks why the dad and his son were at the grocery store that July 4 and the dad tells her. She then quipped "I love pizza - how about making me one sometimes." The dad tells her he was thinking of having pizza that evening, but too bad she had to work that night at 11:00 p.m. No problem is the reply, for she said she could come by and then leave from there for work.

The first date was set! But, the dad was in a pickle, for he didn't have a pizza mix, and no longer lived across from a grocery store - and he needed to do a rush clean up job. So, he calls Domino's and orders a medium cheese pizza for five bucks and writes a check he doesn't have money for, but thank goodness in 1985 it took five to seven days for a check to clear, giving the dad time to cover the check at his work credit union. That October evening, 1985, the dad and the young lady finally revealed their hearts to one another over pizza, laughing why it took so long when each was secretly so much in love with the other.. Oh, and the little boy - she considered him a treasure to love - in fact, he was a prominent reason she was first attracted to the dad.

There was no looking back and the next year on July 4th the dad, the son and the young lady were at a rehearsal picnic for their wedding on July 5 and then the three went to a Fourth of July fireworks show. The son, now four, was ring bearer, dressed in a white tux with tails like his dad. He did well - but, in the middle of the vows he began to tug on his dad's tux tails. "Dad, Dad" he urgently whispered in a not so quiet whisper, tugging more insistently on the dad's tux tails. Finally, with the preacher moving along, as he held his bride's hand, he gently bent down to calm his son. But the son became more insistent and urgent and finally the dad asked him what was it, to which the little boy, with a gleam in his eye, put his shoe on top of his dad's and loudly, proudly and boldly, proclaimed "DAD WE GOT SHOES JUST ALIKE!!"

The entire church broke apart in laughter, while the radiant bride choked backed laughter laced ltears. The dad cackled as softly as he could, proudly acknowledging his son's excited observation. The preacher never missed a beat. The little boy, now satisfied and proud, let his dad pull him closer and remained still as the dad gave his wife to be a gentle squeeze of the hand. In that moment, three became one as a family was forged by a life time memory.

In the years to come there were many 4th of July celebrations, anniversaries and life events to share - and a brother and sister to share them with. July 4, 2005 saw this family march proudly in honor of their son and brother - the little boy grown up and serving his country proudly in Iraq. The next day, the dad and his wife celebrated a quiet 19th wedding anniversary with an anxious eye on the day their "boy" would come home. They had never been them without him.

Next Wednesday, July 5, 2006, the dad and his wife will celbrate 20 years of marriage and a family that had grown from three to five. The dad, his wife, and their two chilren will proudly take part in a 4th of July parade the day before in honor of their son and brother. But both special days will be somber and tempered, for the little boy who cheered for his country went on to be a soldier who served while others debated. The little boy who went from eating Cheez Ptza to eating MREs in the harshness and hostility of war was killed in action last August 16, 2005 near Yusufiyah south of Baghdad.

During the two years before this son died, his dad, now in his 50s, quit eating heavy carbs like pizza, so as to drop and maintain his weight. The son kidded his dad a lot - he loved to tease and have a good time. "hey dad, you ever going to eat pizza again", "ah come on dad..." usually holding a piece under the dad's nose. Even when in Iraq, the son kidded his dad "you still not eating fries and pizza - you ever gonna eat them again - hey come on dad, live a little." This 4th of July the dad has decided to break his diet and eat one piece of Cheez Pitza in honor of his son and will do so every Fourth of July. Maybe with luck, this dad can eat it while a parade passes by. But this dad will have to take small bites, for how else will he swallow it with the lump that will be in his throat, choking back tears of remembrance.

Mike - thanks for loving Cheez Pitza so much. And thanks for loving your family and your country even more. How could you have possibly given us more? We wouldn't be us without you.

Robert Stokely
proud dad, SGT Mike Stokely
KIA IED near Yusufiyah south of Baghdad 16 August 05
E Troop 108th CAV 48th Brigade GA NATL Guard
US Army Purple Heart and Bronze Star
God, Family, Duty, Honor, Country
John 15:13 - No Greater Love