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Over Coffee
By Penny Fletcher
When Uta Kuhn called and said she’d like to meet with me over coffee I suggested Denny’s restaurant on State Road 674. I knew she lived in Sun City Center, and that she’d probably have her daughter Kristine with her.
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| UTA KUHN |
I was right. As the three of us sat in a booth talking about what she’s been up to lately, it struck me how whenever I see her, she’s wearing red, white and blue. Her clothes often represent the Stars and Stripes.
It doesn’t seem to matter to her that Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are over and the flags along State Road 674 have just come down. As president of the Patriot’s Club, she sports the country’s colors year round.
I remembered that she had once told me she came from Berlin, Germany when she was 11 or 12 years old. But she hadn’t realized how close to the wall she had lived – or just what that wall meant - until she returned to Germany on a visit as an adult.
Her family told her stories about what happened on the “other” side of the wall. And she knew some of them had been trapped there where people could be shot and killed just for saying the wrong thing.
That gave her an entirely different perspective and she’s been a flag-waving patriot ever since.
In fact, Uta has just received a plaque from the Military Order of the World Wars, known locally as MOWW. It’s the Patrick Henry Medallion for Patriotic Achievement.
“It means a lot to me,” she said, showing me the plaque. But she hadn’t called me to show off her award. She wanted to be sure people are aware of the Patriot’s Club’s mission.
“We’ll (the club) be five years old Sept. 11,” she said. “We have 50 members now but we’re always looking for more.”
The club gathers donations which enable 105 flags to fly on the electrical poles on both sides of S.R. 674 from just before Memorial Day in May through the July Fourth holiday; then again for a week in remembrance of the 9-1-1 tragedy; and a third time for a week in honor of Veterans Day in November.
“We didn’t used to be able to pay Valley Crest (landscaping) to put them up and take them down but one time a year,” she said. “But thanks to our financial donors we can do it several times a year now.”
The club replaces flags that become worn or tattered and has also recently bought, placed and dedicated two large flags on either side of the Welcome to Sun City Center sign on the south side of S.R. 674 at the west entrance to the community.
Those, she said, will fly year round.
If someone has a torn or tattered flag, the club will see that it gets properly disposed of at a ceremony often held by Boy Scout troops, she said. “They’re welcome to call me at 642-9555,” she added.
She’s also busy planning a patriotic fundraiser for fall, and gathering hand-held flags to give out at functions around town. “People just need to call me and let me know when they need them,” she said.
Besides her work with the Patriot’s Club, the former school bus driver and dispatcher drives an ambulance, dispatches and serves as a first responder on the Sun City Center Emergency Squad and is a member of C.E.R.T., the community emergency response team.
So now you’ve got her number, so there’s no excuse not to call.
*Perhaps you have something you’d like to share. Or maybe you’d rather tell the community about your favorite charity or cause: or sound off about something you think needs changed. That’s what “Over Coffee” is about. It really doesn’t matter whether we actually drink any coffee or not (although I probably will). It’s what you have to say that’s important. E-mail me any time and suggest a meeting place. No matter what’s going on, I’m usually available to share just one more cup. Or maybe you’d like to tune into the new radio show I’m hosting, “The Uncensored Reporter.” It’s available across the country on both AM and FM radio but so far I haven’t found out the call numbers for our area so I just direct everyone to www.themicroeffect.com on their computers Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-to-4 p.m. It’s a call-in show so maybe you’ve got some ideas or comments you’d like to share on the air. Just click on “Listen Live” and give it a whirl.
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