Honor local WWII vets with `Honor Flight’ screening here

Rusty Dennen — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:30:29 +0000

On Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, some local Boy Scouts went to the Washington, D.C. premiere of the documentary about a community in the Midwest that bands together to honor four World War II veterans one last time by sending them to the nation’s capital to visit the World War II Memorial. Tanner Poitras, of Boy Scout Troop 835, and Jake Phillips, of Boy Scout Troop 14, decided they wanted to honor local veterans by arranging a showing of the film here. In a letter to The Free Lance-Star this week, the two wrote: “With our nation losing more than 900 WWII veterans every day, there are fewer opportunities to honor and recognize these heroes from The Greatest Generation. This film was not originally scheduled to play here in Fredericksburg, but we learned that we could arrange for it to be shown, as long as there was enough demand for it locally.” They contacted Paragon Village 12 Theaters, behind Spotsylvania Towne Centre, which agreed to a special screening in one of its largest theaters at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, the 68th anniversary of the Marines’ planting of the Stars and Stripes atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

“We expect to have a number of Korean War and World War II veterans present as our special guests,” the letter went on to say. The pair want to cover the ticket price for as many veterans as they can. Tickets are $10. Local residents can buy a ticket, or sponsor one for a veteran by clicking here. There is an email contact on the site for questions and more information. According to the site, about 114 tickets have been purchased; about 120 are left.

Frank Kuhn Jr., D-Day veteran, remembered

Rusty Dennen — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:43:40 +0000

I first met Frank at a Spotsylvania High School history program I covered a few years ago. He was among dozens of World War II veterans who would talk to students in history teacher Charles Harrell’s classes about their experiences in a war that unfolded decades before the teenagers were born. I was reminded of that day when I saw that Frank had died last Thursday at Mary Washington Hospital at age 95. His obituary ran on Tuesday. Until a few months ago, when his failing health got the better of him, he would stop by the front desk at The Free Lance-Star regularly, to talk or to lobby for a story on one of many things that interested him–science, politics, culture, the military, inventions. I was always amazed at his keen mind and sense of humor, and the fact that he still got around pretty well, even driving when most of his peers were gone or in nursing homes. He was a frequent writer of letters to our Opinion pages. Two years ago, at age 93, Kuhn called to tell me with great pride that he had received an associate of arts degree from University of Maryland University College. My story delved into that achievement, and touched on other parts of his life, including his presence on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He claims he was the first man on the beach because his combat engineer battalion was sent to the Normandy landing site earlier than planned. He survived five major campaigns in Europe. The last time I saw him, Frank dropped by to suggest another story on his military service after I wrote about another D-Day veteran’s experiences. He wanted to get together for dinner sometime, he said. We never got the chance. I’m sure I would have heard another good story or two.

Frank (seated) in October 2010 with a drawing of a bridge he helped build over the Rhine River in Germany during World War II.

Ten-hut! » World War II

Honor local WWII vets with `Honor Flight’ screening here

Frank Kuhn Jr., D-Day veteran, remembered