The Jholdas Group

Here’s the story of a recently naturalized citizen; makes you think!

Subject: Thank you

I became Citizen of the United States today and I just want to say few things:
Did it ever happen to you, that you wanted something so badly, that when it finally came true, you needed to pinch yourself to make sure you were not dreaming ?
Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed about coming to United States of America. In my dreams it represented everything worth living for. It was a perfect place to escape to in my mind while being bombed during the war, while being ridiculed because of my first name, while suffering discriminative remarks because of my last name, while laughed at because of my ideas and opinions, while hated because I loved to laugh, while…just being.
Nobody believed me when I said I was going to go to College in USA. Everyone thought I was delusional. I always knew, deep down in my heart, somehow, that I was going to go to USA. I believed firmly. I simply knew it. Don’t ask me how, I just did. Ever since I was a kid, I knew.
I worked toward my goal since childhood; In Elementary school I paid 90% of my attention to English language, in High School I paid 90% of my attention to English language, begged rich classmates with computers to teach me how to work on them, negotiated my parents into buying me one, spent nights and days on the internet searching for scholarship, scooped libraries in search of any material related to studying in United States, even called families of rich Croatians asking for answers on how their kids made it to college in USA, enrolled in college in Zadar (Croatia) just to buy me time to find scholarship for USA, read Herman Melville under the table in the "German Literature Class", showed up for the premier of Star Wars movie in Zagreb dressed as Princess Leia in front of hundreds of people and ended up in all the newspapers in the country (!!!), called Croatian Television and suggested they do a show about me going to USA in  order to get a free traditional costume for the Rotary Program…
To make a long story short; I made it to USA. )
I graduated Business Management from Columbus State University in Georgia (Dream Nr. 1)
Had my family at my graduation ceremony, even though my father was missing from the picture (Dream Nr. 2)
Made it to one of the biggest cities in the world – Chicago (Dream Nr. 3)
Met a tall, dark, crazy dude who became my husband (Dream Nr. 4)
Became Citizen of United States of America !!! (Dream Nr. 5)
I realized that all of that was made possible by having kind, loving, generous and supportive people by my side. Although "I had a Dream", people that surrounded me in my life, were those who made it all possible. They are the thread, of the web, of my dreams. I am sending this to you to say: THANK YOU for being part of my life and for helping me make my dreams come true.
Love you all,
Nina

Nermina Grgas
Public Relations and Communications Professional
Phone: 224-406-4439
Fax: 847-627-8817
Email: nermina_grgas@yahoo.com

STORY NUMBER  ONE

     Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned  Chicago  ..  Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
       Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone’s lawyer for a good reason.  Eddie was very good!  In fact, Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time..
      To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well.  Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well.  For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of  the day.  The estate was so large that it filled an entire  Chicago   City  block.
       Eddie lived the high life of the  Chicago  mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. 
       Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly.  Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld.   Price was no object.
       And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.  Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
       Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn’t give his son; he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example.
       One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.
       He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity.  To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.  So, he testified.
       Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely  Chicago Street  .  But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay.  Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.
       The poem read:
       "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.  Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will.. Place no faith in time.  For the clock may soon be still."
    STORY NUMBER  TWO
       World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare.
       He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier  Lexington  in the South Pacific.
       One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission.  After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
       He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his  ship.
       His flight leader told him to return to the carrier.  Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
       As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.
       The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless.  He couldn’t reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet.  Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.  There was only one thing to do.  He must somehow divert them from the  fleet..
       Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes.  Wing-mounted 50 caliber’s blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another.  Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.
       Undaunted, he continued the assault.  He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.
       Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
       Deeply relieved, Butch O’Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.
       Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return.  The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale.  It showed the extent of Butch’s daring attempt to protect his fleet.  He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft 
This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
       A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29..  His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O’Hare Airport in  Chicago  is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
       So, the next time you find yourself at O’Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor.  It’s located between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

       Butch O’Hare was "Easy Eddie’s" son.

Check this out…

Call the Nestle Hotline at 1-800-295-0051, When asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, wait quietly for about 10 seconds and you will smile. Keep going and press 4. then press 7. If you comment on this to anyone, don’t give away the surprise…Keep trying if busy! You can’t make any noise into the phone, or this won’t work!!