On a small island called Antiparos in Greece, a glass bottle and a plaque engraved with a Chinese woman's name, Chin-Yeh, are on a permanent display in a children's park. This is the story about the significant connection between the plaque and the bottle and a person's life.

It was the summer of 1960, then-Colonel Charles Hostler and his son Charles Jr. were on board a cruise ship for a Mediterranean vacation. Eight-year-old Charles Jr. wrote a note, put it in a wine bottle and threw it into the ocean. On the note he wrote: “My name is Charles Hostler, Jr. Please write me at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.” A month later, an 11-year-old Greek boy found the bottle and had his teacher translate the note to him. The boy wrote back to Charles Jr., "My name is Stephanos Kalargiros. I am 11 years old and I live on the island of Antiparos, Greece. My father is a poor fisherman and I have 12 siblings. Our diet consists of fish and dark bread. In summer, I swim in the ocean and in winter I climb mountains. I like American people. Please give my regards to your mama and papa ……"

After receiving this letter, Colonel Hostler and Charles Jr. looked for Antiparos on the map and found the island to be very small, with a population of only 606 at the time. Father and son decided to team up to collect gifts for the islanders. When NBC's Today Show aired the story, hundreds of gifts were sent to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut from the United States as well as other parts of the world. The Hostlers tried to figure out a way to deliver these gifts to the Greek people on Antiparos. Finally, on December 13, 1960, a U.S. military seaplane was made available and flew to Antiparos for the Hostlers to present over 1,000 pounds of gifts to the islanders, who received them with much joy and jubilation. The Hostlers instantly fell in love with the people and the island. Colonel Hostler and his son were proclaimed honorary citizens of the Cyclades[1] Islands, and soon after Colonel Hostler purchased a parcel of land on the Antiparos waterfront in order to affirm his friendship with the people. In June 1961, Colonel Hostler was awarded the "Royal Order of the Phoenix" in the grade of Grand Commander by King Paul of Greece for his cooperation and assistance for the Greek orthodox community.

In the intervening years, Charles Hostler retired from the U.S. Air Force and the CIA. He often thought of going back to the beautiful island of Antiparos to build a house by the sea. Many years went by and Charles Hostler was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain. During his four-year tenure, the Gulf War broke out and Charles finished his tour of duty in 1993 and returned to the United States. He chose San Diego to be his home and met the love of his life, Chin-Yeh, whom he married. The couple now lives in Coronado, California. They went to visit Antiparos and decided to donate the land that was bought in 1961 to the islanders to build a children's park.

On May 8, 2007, the Hostlers returned to Antiparos for the unveiling of a plaque commemorating their contribution to the Greek people. The U.S. Ambassador to Greece, the Greek Minister of Interior and the Secretary General of the Aegean Sea attended the ceremony. The plaque reads, in English and Greek, "May 8, 2007. This land is given to the community of Antiparos by former U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain Charles Hostler and his wife Chin-Yeh Hostler to be forever preserved for the benefit of our youth."

So, who is Charles Hostler? He is a soldier, a diplomat, an ambassador, a businessman, a scholar, an educator, and an author. As a member of OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to CIA), he landed on D-Day in Normandy, France. During the 60th Anniversary of D-Day celebrations (June 6, 2004), Charles Hostler was chosen to represent American D-Day veterans to receive the French Legion of Honor decoration from French President Chirac in the presence of 17 Heads of States in Normandy. He has earned a Bachelor's degree, two Master's degrees, a Doctor's degree and two honorary Doctor's degrees. Charles is also a recipient of many awards, honors, titles and decorations from nine countries. He is a tireless global traveler and citizen of the world. He has traveled to more than 170 countries and has lived nine years in Beirut, Lebanon in three different assignments. He decided to establish a Student Center for the American University of Beirut, where he earned a Master’s degree. The Charles Hostler Student Center consists of five buildings and is the second largest single donation ever made to the university by an individual. His autobiography “Soldier to Ambassador; From the D-Day Normandy Landing to the Persian Gulf War - A Memoir Odyssey” was published in 2003 by San Diego State University, where Charles Hostler also endowed the Charles Hostler Institute on World Affairs.

Who is Chin-Yeh Hostler? This Chinese woman grew up in Taiwan, graduated from Ming Chuan University, earned a B.S. Degree from San Diego State University, and ran a successful business as well. She and Charles met in 1993 in San Diego. It was mutual admiration that brought the two together. Chin-Yeh helped Charles with his book, and encouraged him to fulfill his dream of building the Charles Hostler Student Center at the American University of Beirut in his life time. She worked with Charles on the donation of the land to the Greek people. She is his soul mate, companion, wife and true love.

The “message in a bottle” brought the two young boys together and connected the Americans with the Greeks. San Diego brought a Chinese woman and an American ambassador together and this union created the children's park in Antiparos, Greece. For us, this story brings the world together-- we are indeed connected.

[1] Cyclades are a Greek Island group in the Aegean Sea comprising of more than 220 islands, the major ones including Anafi, Antiparos, Delos, Ios, Kimolos, Mykonos, Páros, Folegandros, Sifnos, Tínos, and more.