As a South Shore resident and community journalist, I was so pleased to see the large crowd that turned out for the VFW's annual Veterans Day parade. Having covered the event six times since I came to the area, I felt interest had begun to wane in recent years, and that saddened me. ...more

November 25, 2009

The column I submitted last week was a mistake. My apology goes to my editor for sending an un-publishable column expecting it to be used. ...more

November 18, 2009

The hundreds of people who lined the main street of a small Indiana city today fell solemnly silent as a white hearse passed by on its way to the church. Mourners streamed into a Wisconsin gymnasium to remember a soldier who once promised to take down Osama bin Laden. ...more

November 14, 2009

A mix of military, family, friends and patriotic motorcycle riders gathered at Plant City's First Baptist Church on Saturday to honor and mourn the loss of Army Spc. Eric Lembke, who was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb Oct. 23. ...more

November 8, 2009

Preparations are underway Thursday for the sixth annual Veterans Day parade in downtown Sebring scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, and sponsored by the Heartland Workforce. ...more

November 6, 2009

I've got this friend. He's a veteran of the Vietnam War and you don't have to be around him that much to realize he leans a little to the gung-ho side. ...more

November 1, 2009

Sept. 11, 2001, is a day that should never be forgotten. ...more

September 11, 2009

As Americans we spend billions of dollars each year on Halloween and Christmas yard decorations, yet as I drive around our county I see very few American flags flying. As Flag Day (June 14) and the 4th of July approaches, I would hope that all of us, American born or not would feel a sense of pride and duty and fly our great flag. ...more

June 8, 2009

A modern-day Tea Party protest overtook downtown Tampa on Wednesday. No one spilled crates of Earl Grey into the already tea-colored bay, but there were a lot of American flags wrapped around shoulders and a few "Don't Tread On Me" flags flying in the breeze. The rally bemoaned the recent federal stimulus packages that bailed out bankers, investors and big-money industrialists. ...more

April 16, 2009

Members of the Patriots Club, who provide and maintain the American flags that fly along State Road 674, elected the following officers at the club's annual membership meeting Jan. 30: Uta Kuhn, president; Don Renwick, executive vice president; and Dick Persons, second vice president for membership. ...more

March 11, 2009