Soldier Who Has Undergone 19 Surgeries Has No Regrets—He'd do it again for "Nothing more than the thanks a soldier deserves"
"I'm not bitter. It's hard for people to understand, but people who join the military join because they feel a calling they can't explain. It's something inside of you that says, 'I need to serve this country where I have all these freedoms.'"
(Jackson, Miss.)—Of all the powerful stories printed over Veteran's Day weekend honoring our armed forces, this tribute to Sergeant First Class Norris Galatas of the Mississippi Army National Guard stood out to me. It is a testimony to the young man's courage and spirit.
The AP article noted that Galatas had "suffered through 19 surgeries in less than three years since he was wounded by an explosion in Iraq. But his time is not spent on regret—he says he'd do it again for nothing more than the thanks a soldier deserves.
"I'm not bitter," said SFC Galatas. "It's hard for people to understand, but people who join the military join because they feel a calling they can't explain. It's something inside of you that says, 'I need to serve this country where I have all these freedoms.' Would I choose to get hurt again? No. But I don't regret it."
The report states that by the end of the year Galatas should be home for good.
