On Saturday, October 6, 2006 in Sharpsburg, GA at the Trinity Fellowship Church there will be a dedication ceremony for the naming of sections of Highway 54, by legislative action the section of highway that runs through Coweta county from the Fayette County line to GA Route 16 will be named the Sgt Mike Stokely Memorial Highway.
Mr. Robert Stokely sent me an invite for this event and if it didn't happen to fall on my son's birthday I would be there.
To the Stokely's, I do hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow at the dedication to the highway being named in honor of Mike. His loyalty to the State of Georgia, The United States of America and you his family are evident in his selfless-service and dedication to the mission. As you have said numerous times, "he served while others debated," and that is the true mark of a hero.
Despite being used in a derogatory manner the words spoken by Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men" are absolutely true, "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline." Mike lived by those words, he lived a purpose filled life not only spent in service to our Country but also his Lord. Those who would use those words as a punchline have no concept of the deep and fulfilling sense of pride that comes from such selfless-service, or spending a lifetime defending something that most people take for granted.
The Army values can be summed up in seven words, seven little words:
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless-Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage
Seven little words whose meaning are lost on most of our citizens but thankfully not our fine members of the US MILITARY. Sergeant Michael Stokely, Echo Troop, 108th Cavalry, 48th Brigade Combat Team, Georgia National Guard, United States Army was the embodiment of those values not only to his country but to his family and his Lord.
May God Bless you on this day and my you forever be held in the palm of his hand.
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