The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss.—Sgt. Norris Galatas and his wife know all too well the sacrifices that soldiers make and the struggles that follow a severely wounded veteran home from the battlefield.

Nearly three years and 19 surgeries after a bomb in Iraq sent shrapnel tearing through his abdomen, Galatas’ near-death encounter and his long recovery are captured in a book written by his wife, Janis.

“A Soldier’s Courage” begins with a forward by Sgt. Galatas, recalling the explosion in April 2005 that changed everything for the quiet, nature loving couple from Meridian who have been married 18 years.

The book is self published, and the military acronyms may initially confuse some readers. But what is important, the Galatases say, is the message.

“The most important thing is that the American public is made aware of the great sacrifices the average American soldier makes when injured in the line of duty, whether that be in training or in armed conflict,” the sergeant said in an e-mail to The Associated Press from an Army hospital in Washington D.C.

“The public should be aware that the average soldier is the guy next door and has no desire to be a hero, but just do what his heart calls him to do in the service of his country,” he said.

The book began almost by chance as Janis Galatas scribbled down the emotions that nearly overwhelmed her at the sight of her husband “swollen and yellow” in a medically induced coma.

“He appeared to be dead. As I sat by his bedside waiting for him to wake up, I began keeping a daily journal,” Janis Galatas told the AP. “As it took nearly three months for him to become mobile, the journal became long and very detailed.”

Janis Galatas, 54, eventually began incorporating e-mails and details gathered from those who helped to save her husband’s life on the battlefield.

While the book’s not available in book stores, anyone interested can order the 364-page book from the Website Amazon.com.

A reader’s review on Amazon.com said the book “is a must read” for the families of soldiers, especially those trying to cope with horrifying injuries.

That’s one of the things Janis Galatas was hoping for. She wants people to realize that the most trying battles for a wounded soldier begin at the time of the injury. That’s why her book includes her husband’s experiences at Walter Reed. The hospital was the subject of intense scrutiny last year due to the allegedly shoddy treatment of some soldiers.

“Looking back to August 2006, I see how he very nearly died right there in front of us, sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway of Ward 68,” Janis Galatas said, “unnoticed, dehydrated, and going into shock. I am glad I was there to throw a fit and get us noticed.”

The Galatases don’t expect a windfall from the book and hope only to make enough money to replenish their retirement fund and to make their home handicapped accessible. And in the end, perhaps the real payoff won’t be monetary at all.

Both said the project has helped them cope. And it provides Galatas a glimpse of his own life; the portions left blurry from a ferocious explosion.

“It’s just amazing what you forget when doped up on pain killers and unconscious from being in a blast,” Galatas said.