MIHALO REMEMBERED

In reading the article that appeared in the Naperville Sun yesterday "Remembering Tony Mihalo" I reflected back to when I first met Megan Allen (Tony's girlfriend) and Mom (Debbie Wolfe) when they called asking if I would help them plan a homecoming for Tony. They were so excited and bubbly. The date was set for January 25th, 2008. The planning began--I contacted Mayor Pradel's office to extend an invitation and when Pradel learned Tony was flying into Midway Airport just minutes before his plane landed he immediately offered the family to join him in his limousine for the ride home. I was invited to join Tony's family and Megan to welcome Tony home at the airport. Coordinating with the USO, we received security clearance to greet Tony as soon he stepped off the plane. I can still remember his huge grin and amazement in seeing Meg, Mom & Dad , his brother and sisters, all of Megans family and over 200 people waiting for him. When he was joined by Mayor Pradel he was even more surprised, then a limo ride which proceeded to the Naperville VFW and in spite of the winter blizzard, over 100 well wishers awaited his arrival. The escort thru Naperville was led by the Naperville Police Dept. Bagpipers played as Tony stepped out of the limo and then the celebration began. There were wall to wall people at the VFW welcoming Tony home. It definitely was the largest homecoming ever. Tony was able to be home for a month before he was deployed again. Tragically, Tony was killed in action (Afghanistan) on August 14th, 2008 just 8 months later. Tony was an exemplary young man who definitely left a lasting impression on everyone he touched and will always be remembered.

Please see Naperville Sun article below.....

Donna Morsovillo

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MIHALO REMEMBERED AS BIRTHDAY COMES AND GOES

July 26, 2009
By PATRICK MOONEY pmooney@scn1.com

Megan Allen visits the grave about twice a week. They could have buried him at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside John F. Kennedy, the five-star generals and Supreme Court justices. But this is home and everywhere she looks is filled with memories.
Tony Mihalo would have turned 24 last week. He followed the Bears, played "Madden NFL" video games and loved "Borat," all of which would make him a completely unremarkable American male.
Marine Cpl. Tony Mihalo also served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning four Purple Hearts, two of which Allen was told he turned back in.
There were two Tony Mihalos, in the same way that there are two Americas. One dreads that call in the middle of the night, while the other buys popcorn and watches "Bruno."
According to The Washington Post, this month has already set a record high for U.S. deaths in Afghanistan, the cost of a war that's nearly eight years old. The country's presidential election, a potential flash point, will fall on Aug. 20, right around the one-year anniversary of Mihalo's death.
Last week Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans to increase the size of the Army by 22,000 troops across the next three years. We are too busy to notice, instead making excuses for Michael Jackson or peeping in on Erin Andrews.
As Politico pointed out, President Barack Obama did not mention the words Iraq or Afghanistan during a press conference that lasted almost 55 minutes on Wednesday in the East Room of the White House.
All that begins to explain why Allen will answer just about any question you may have in a nearly 90-minute conversation.
"It's sad because these guys are risking their lives and protecting our freedoms and yet they get a blurb on the bottom of the screen," Allen said. "That's why every time somebody wants to talk about Tony, (I) welcome it, because (you) still want to make sure that those people are always remembered."
Allen and Mihalo had a relationship that lasted nearly five years and an understanding they would get married once his military service ended. She went to Naperville Central, the rival high school not far from where he's now buried.
Mihalo was a defensive lineman at Naperville North, and it seems like all these soldiers are former athletes. Mihalo would probably hate to see his name in print, cringing if he saw the word hero.
Last August Allen had accepted her first job out of North Central College about 30 minutes before she found out Mihalo was killed by an improvised explosive device while serving with a battalion in Afghanistan.
Allen was hired to teach third grade at Ranch View Elementary. The Marines she thought she would never see again once they got on the plane after Mihalo's funeral have become some of her best friends -- they even helped set up her classroom.
"(My students) definitely made me keep a smile on my face every day, because kids know exactly what you're thinking. They can read you like no other," Allen said. "They kept me grounded. They kept me on track. (If) I didn't have that job, I really don't know what state I would be at right now."
The fears about losing your job are real, and a broken health-care system needs to be fixed. That shouldn't be minimized. But only a small segment of the population is making this sacrifice. In a TMZ world, there are those trying to find comfort or answers in the chat rooms of MarineParents.com during deployments.
"Everything happens for a reason. We may not like what's happened or we may not understand but something good will always come from something like this," Allen said more than once.
Allen, 23, was let go by District 203 at the end of her first year before being rehired to teach second grade at Maplebrook Elementary. She's about to close on a townhouse in Naperville. Strangely, things are coming together.
The message from Mihalo's family, as Allen recalled, has been direct: "Megan, we don't want you up in our attic, (in) a rocking chair with a wedding dress and a picture of Tony."
They remain close and recently returned from a cross-country trip to California, to return the belongings of a Marine who split the cost of a storage unit with Mihalo before heading overseas. It would be impossible not to think about what could have been.
Allen was used to Mihalo being away for long periods of time and talking to him once a month. That doesn't make it easy -- holidays in particular are difficult. But she can still hear Mihalo in the back of her head. Those voices shouldn't be kept silent.
Contact Patrick Mooney at mailto:pmooney@scn1.com?Subject=Story.Response or 630-416-5107.