You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes.
~~~~~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.
No words can express how reading this makes me feel.
Mudville Gazette has re-posted a beautiful letter written in 2005 to honor the memory of a Hero; Sgt. Mike Stokely.
Please go read about Mike in a email from his dad, Robert.
Robert Stokely originally wrote the letter just four months after the death of his son, a touching tribute to the Hero that he raised and then had to bury.
Take the tissues with you, you're going to need them.
I can't fathom the strength required to endure such a tragedy. It's no wonder why Mike was such a wonderful young man and dedicated soldier with parents such as his.
No, Robert, your son is a hero not just in your eyes but in the eyes of America. Forever.
*Note* Brat has a beautiful tribute to Sgt. Mike Stokely. Please go visit and leave a comment for Mike's family. As she has written...ALWAYS REMEMBER.
And so it goes......