VETERANS: Have friends indeed

Responding to the letter from Lloyd Rogers concerning the assistance he received from the clerk at SOS Surplus in Post Falls. My condolences to you and your family, Mr. Rogers and may your brother rest in peace. Thank you to both of you for your service to our country! My thanks to the clerk at SOS Surplus who refused your payment and thanks to the vets who paid final respects to your brother.

We live in an amazing country and in an amazing community. Last year, my son, Sgt. Shane O'Hara, USMC, returned home to pay his respects to his grandma, who had lost her battle with cancer. He realized that he needed to have his dress blues cleaned and returned in time for the funeral. Our local cleaners in Hayden, Country Cleaners, not only gladly cleaned and pressed his uniform in time, but they refused his payment and thanked him for his service. He was so touched by their kindness and regard. A big thank you! Perry and the crew at Country Cleaners for making a young Marine feel good about his service.

I know there are other families and businesses in our local communities who perform acts of kindness to our military personnel and to veterans and I would like to thank each and every one of you. I know you do it with a giving spirit and a sense of commitment and service to our country. It is greatly appreciated, not only by the veterans, but their families as well. My son had returned from an ugly tour in Iraq just a few months previous and to be treated with such respect and consideration by a local business made him appreciate our community and realize once again, why he chose to serve in the military.

Thank you to SOS Surplus, Country Cleaners and other local businesses who support and serve our military and veterans. You are the unsung heroes in our communities and may God bless you!

KATHRYN O'HARA

Hayden