< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 W hat if Americans had lost the fight for independence? Where would we be? Who would we be? Certainly and obviously, we wouldn’t be celebrating the Fourth of July. The war raging in Ukraine has inspired overwhelming bipartisan support and sympathy among Americans. An underdog fighting for liberty against the odds reso- nates deeply with Americans, particularly those who see the uncanny parallels with our revolution 246 years ago. Losing the American Revolution seems to us unfathom- able — impossible — as we prepare to celebrate nationhood with a day on the beach, hot dogs, fireworks and flags. The odds were very much against us, however, when we set out to break free of British rule. The ragtag, barely trained, badly equipped, half-starving Con- tinental Army seemed ill-prepared to face the best military in the world serving a king and country with very deep pockets. “The Americans had tremendous difficulty raising enough funds to purchase basic supplies for their troops, including shoes and blankets,” according to ushistory.org. “The British had a winning tradition. Around 1 in 5 Ameri- cans openly favored the Crown, with about half of the popula- tion hoping to avoid the conflict altogether. Most Indian tribes sided with Britain, who promised protection of tribal lands.” Yet, Americans had some clear advantages, geographic vastness among them. It also didn’t help the British that they fought a war far from home. Military orders, troops and supplies sometimes took months to reach their destinations, according to ushistory.org. But what Americans mostly had going for them was righteousness. “Americans had a grand cause: fighting for their rights, their independence and their liberty,” according to Indepen- dence Hall Association, which operates ushistory.org. “This cause is much more just than waging a war to deny independence. American military and political leaders were inexperienced, but proved surprisingly competent. “Although American troops may not have had the military force and economic base that their British rivals had, they did believe strongly in their fight for freedom and liberty.” But it’s also important to see that Americans couldn’t have won without the alliance of sympathizers in British Parliament and the alliance with France, which helped win the war. America’s victory against the British, and love of liberty, has long inspired hope among people all over the world. In these pages, you’ll meet locals who are doing their part to help their home country and who also inspire hope that good and freedom will prevail in Ukraine. Each July, Coast Monthly celebrates American indepen- dence . This year, we salute all those fighting to win or maintain theirs. LAURA ELDER Coast Monthly Editor FROM THE EDITOR NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A RIGHTEOUS CAUSEA trusted name with over 50 years of real estate experience Carolyn T. Gaido REALTOR ® CLHMS, CRS, RSPS, SRS 713.851.3377 CarolynGaido@SandNSea.com CarolynGaido.com Sand `N Sea Properties, LLC Top Agent Since 1999 Michael J. Gaido, III REALTOR ® 409.457.4900 MichaelGaido.com Kimberly A. 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I like celebrat- ing with friends and watching the seawall fireworks…but I guess that tradition will be changing. Kathy Van Dewalli uSA — still the best on the planet. Got a new red, white and blue light- up door wreath. Gonna bust my diet and treat myself to some ribs. Marsha Wilson Rappaport Celebrating the uSA for the Consti- tution and the freedom it provides. Oh yeah, crank up the pellet grill and put on patriotic music. Donald Nurdin Watch America’s pastime, then watch fireworks with the family. Scott Kusnerik Going crabbing with friends! Trudy Deen Davis I have wonderful childhood memo- ries of the fireworks display at the Washington Monument, hand-held sparklers, cones being lit in the backyard and the smell of gunpow- der. But most importantly, the smile on my father’s face. Then adult memories of being on my friend’s boat (Tom) on the Cuyahoga River watching the fireworks synchro- nized with the Cleveland Orchestra. Ruth Finkelstein Barbecue and family reunion. Karol Deem We will put out our flag and have a family day with games and food. Mary Brechtel We celebrate with fireworks. Audrey Keim My flag cake! Jeanna Leek I make a flag cake every year! Casey Miller Higgins Must have hot dogs with all the fixings! Jeanette Connolly Watermelons and hot dogs! Jerry Jackson Absolutely Coney Islands, particularly if they can come from Sonny’s Place! Andrea Pieri Sunseri A tray of Coney Islands. Linda Chapa-Gionet Chili cheese dogs. Robert S. Evans Potato salad. Susana Finkel Red, white and blue cupcakes! Hal Rochkind The all-American hamburger made with American-raised beef like Nolan Ryan beef and anything red, white and blue — like Jell-O shots! Wanda Buttner Watermelon with salt. Johnny Lisa Halili Hot dogs, watermelon and boozy cherry bombs. Nita Andrews Reid Brisket. Laura Manning Stokes Brisket and watermelon. Rhea Rene Senseney Homemade ice cream. Sandra Anderson Eggleston Rib-eyes and roasted corn on the grill, my mother’s/grandmother’s mustard potato salad, apple pie and real (not Blue Bell) homemade vanilla ice cream. Don Walker My 4th of July fav — pork ribs and watermelon. Bobby Martin What does independence mean to you and how will you celebrate? Also, what’s your favorite Fourth of July food? JENNIFER REYNOLDS Americans consume 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Ten percent of annual retail hot dog sales occur during July, which is designated as National Hot Dog Month.Schedule an appointment: houstonmethodist.org/jointpain .. without joint pain KEEP YOU MOVING Live life without joint pain. At Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, we know that joint pain affects every part of your life. With treatment plans customized for you, our specialists offer a full range of advanced nonsurgical and surgical techniques. Our expert joint care includes: • Innovative pain control methods • Physical therapy to improve mobility and range of motion • The latest technology, including minimally invasive surgical techniques that help reduce recovery time Clear Lake14 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 ST u ART VILLAN u EVA COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 15 FEATURE ‘WE LOVE FREEDOM’ Ukrainians live in fear and hope as war drags on in their home country story by KERI HEATH K ateryna Gaido doesn’t want the world to forget what’s happening in war-torn Ukraine. And as the bloody conflict rages on, it’s all Gaido can do to resist returning to her native home to help family, friends and the country she loves. “You just want to hop on a plane and go there,” said Gaido, a Ukrainian native who was born in Mariupol. “I probably would if I didn’t have children.” Since Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine in late February, Gaido, whose family owns the more than century-old Gaido’s Seafood Restau- rant on Galveston’s seawall, has cycled through anger, sadness and pain, watching the war erupt from afar. “I love living here and I love Texas,” Gaido said. “But you always love where you grew up. Your heart always goes back to where you spent your childhood.” Gaido is among a sizable community of Ukraine natives living on the upper Texas coast trying to support their home and families from half a world away. They’re grappling with the grief over a war-torn country whose fight to maintain independence has garnered an out- pouring of bipartisan sympathy and support in the United States. Since the invasion, Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant has raised money to help people in Ukraine. For some, the war waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin has forged stronger bonds to their home and reinforced their determina- tion to maintain Ukraine’s freedom. A decade ago, Gaido moved to Galveston and began working at Gaido’s, where met her husband, Nick Gaido. The couple now lives in Friendswood with their two young children, but Ukraine still is very much in her heart, she said. She has watched from afar as her home of Kyiv came under attack and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the inter- national community for weapons and supplies, millions of dollars of which have come from the United States. The war has killed thousands, reduced cities across the country to ruin and sent millions of Ukrainians fleeing violence across inter- national borders. Many remained in their country, however, to fight invading Russian forces. Kateryna Gaido, a Ukrainian native, moved to Galveston a decade ago but her home country still is very much in her heart, she said. Gaido, whose family owns Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant on the island’s seawall, has raised money to help people in war-torn Ukraine.16 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 FEATURE Kateryna Gaido has been keeping in touch with friends and family who fled, and despite the violence, they miss their homes, she said. “Now, all the people who fled, they say ‘I want to go back home,’” Gaido said. “It’s been amazing to see how much people love their own country.” ‘REALITY OF OUR LIVES’ Watching the invasion from afar is prob- ably one of the hardest parts, said Solomiia Bakun Winchester, who lives in Galveston. From Lviv, Bakun Winchester has lived in the United States for years. When she hears of airstrikes, she immedi- ately sends messages to make sure people she cares about are safe. “You just check on your family and your friends,” Bakun Winchester said. “I never thought this would happen, but this is the reality of our lives.” The war has been painful, said Katery- na Gaido, whose grandmother died in her home, found by a relative. “We still don’t know what happened,” Gai- do said. “It makes her death much harder.” It had been two years since Gaido had seen her grandmother. ‘I COULDN’T SLEEP’ Like Gaido, local Ukrainians have been doing what they can to support the war effort from half a world away. Mariia “Masha” Lisova felt she had to do something, she said. “I couldn’t eat,” Lisova said of those first weeks of the war. “I couldn’t sleep. I was not even myself.” Lisova is from Cherkasy in central Ukraine. “Sometimes, I feel guilty,” Lisova said. “I feel guilty not being there.” She decided to raise money to send to Ukrainian nonprofits to aid in the war effort and organized a fundraising event. Lisova, who works at restaurant Shrimp ‘N Stuff in Galveston, worked with local businesses to organize a raffle at Galveston Island Brewing. Solomiia Bakun Winchester, who lives in Galveston, is from Lviv in Western Ukraine. She never thought her home country would be invaded and fighting for its freedom, she said. JENNIFER REYNOLDS COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 17 Lisova wasn’t sure how many people would attend, but the event raised $10,000, she said. “It’s heartwarming,” Lisova said. “It means a lot.” ‘WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY’ But for some, the war only reinforced ideals already strongly held. Bakun Winchester doesn’t think the war enhanced her connection with Ukraine. That connection already was strong, she said. “A lot of other Ukrainians can tell you the same thing,” Bakun Winchester said. “We love our country. I swear to God, I don’t think anybody else loves their country as much as I do.” Bakun Winchester points to people’s will- ingness to volunteer to fight as evidence for Ukrainians’ love for their country. “It runs in our blood,” Bakun Winchester said. “We just love freedom. We love our country. I feel like if freedom would have a name, it would be ‘Ukraine.’” Although some people might abandon their home in times of war to find a better life, that’s not the Ukrainian way, she said. “We have this saying,” Bakun Winchester. “If I translate it, it’s ‘Ukraine Above All.’” ‘STRONGER’ It has been especially hard to watch what’s happening in the Ukraine because the country had been making significant prog- ress, Lisova said. Towns like Bucha, which has been lev- eled by war, had in recent years flourished, she said. “They made beautiful parks, fountains,” Lisova said. “They want those people to stay there. There’s been a lot of improvements, roads rebuilt.” Standards of living for Ukrainians had been improving, but that progress has been undone by war, she said. Still, Lisova holds onto hope. “We will rebuild,” Lisova said. “We will win. The country will be more beautiful, stronger.” Masha Lisova, who works at Shrimp ‘N Stuff Downtown in Galveston, is from Cherkasy in central Ukraine. She organized an event to raise money to send to Ukrainian nonprofits to aid in the war effort. JENNIFER REYNOLDSRELAX. We’ll handle everything. West End Office 13450 FM 3005, Galveston, TX 409.737.5200 In Town Office 2615 Broadway St, Galveston, TX 409.763.8030 ©2022 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. 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