Posted on 12/01/2010 5:47:35 AM PST by InvisibleChurch
Gary -- An Indiana businessman says he's decided to give the personal items he owns of a Marine who died in Pakistan to her family.
Mark Perko of Lake Station said he's been being treated unfairly after he earlier refused to return for free the medals, dog tags, funeral flag and other belongings of late Marine Sgt. Jeannette Winters of Gary.
Perko obtained the items when he bought a storage unit after its payments were missed four years ago.
Perko told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville and The Times of Munster late Tuesday that he would take a loss and give the items to Winters' brother.
Winters was the first female Marine to die in a combat zone when she was killed in a 2002 tanker plane crash.
There was a thread about this last night. I had the same questions in mind. I understand storing her furniture and clothes. It’s too painful to sort through a loved ones possessions. But why did the family put her medals and other precious things in a storage bin? Why weren’t they displayed or at least kept in a safe place? Why are they all of a sudden four years later in a lather?
The good news is the family gets her things returned. I hope they cherish them and care for them. I hope they reimburse the storage unit owner for the free storage they received. He’s probably a small businessman who has to pay franchise fees every month to keep his business open. And I hope they reimburse the man who stored their things rent free for four years.
The Chicago Sun Times loves to excite class rivalry - tenants against landlords, mortgagors against mortgagees, defaulters against storage bin owners, evil businessman against family of fallen soldier.
If my daughter or spouse had died I guarantee you their medals and dog tags would never be in a storage bin - much less an abandoned one.
“puke”
Scum sucking pig! Just my 02 worth. A lot of years ago during the fun and games in VN I was sitting in a transit barracks on Treasure Island awaiting orders back to VN when I was assigned as a body escort. The fallen Marine was at a funeral home in South San Francisco and what happened there almost got me into a prison cell for murder. It seems that the operator of the joint thought that (A) the military should not be paid for their service. (B) Should not be allowed to have familys.
(C) Should be forced to serve as long as nessary and remain wherever they had fallen. (D) etc.etc.! It was a close call. I did however make loud noises to much higher ranking people than myself.
Hopefully most freepers would not let their emotions run away from them based on a newspaper story - and one from the Chicago Sun Times no less!
They constantly run stories about The Man screwing over the poor folk. And if it's a Jewish Man it sells more papers.
I am not familiar with CST but you are right about newspaper stories not being truthfull or complete. Your post was dead on also. The family should never have let certain stuff go into the storage place. A flag and some medals and dog tags take up very little space, wherever you live. He should have given it up whenever family first requested it. It was his legally, but morally, it would have been the right thing to do, particularly being a war casualty. He kept the stuff for four years to see if he could sell it, then when no buyers came along, he decided to do what he should have to begin with. I have bought storage units at auction, and would not keep anything like that if I could contact to original owner.
The back story. Someone broke into her father's home while he was at her funeral. At that point, he decided to store the belongings to keep them safe. The father then suffered a stroke, and the payments stopped on the storage unit. My guess, the family was more concerned about the current situation with the father, and either simply forgot about the storage unit, or didn't know about it. My folks don't always tell me every move they make, do yours?
The fact is, the storage unit was bought four years ago. This idiot couldn't move any of the goods he got for these four years, because they had no value to anyone but the family, and now wants to charge the family of a fallen Marine for her personal effects related to her service. A Marine who wrote a blank check to her country, paid in full.
Folks grieve in different ways. A lady I know maintained a picture and flower display of her daughter at her grave site from the day of her daughter's burial until the the day she died.
Other folks I know, never visit the graves of their loved ones.
Maybe the reminder of the medals and flag were too much for him. Either way, he kept up the rent until the situation changed for him.
Come back after you read post #14
Yes, I read about that last night.
There are too many unknowns here.
The only thing I know for sure is that the Chicago Sun Times wants to sell newspapers. Jessie Jackson threatens the Chicago newspapers with boycotts if they don’t cater to minorities and if they don’t donate $$ to his organization.
As a result their articles frequently portray the black victim being treated unfairly by the bank, landlord, used furniture store. If the landlord, banker or furniture store owner is Jewish it’s even better. You can’t trust their stories.
No, but help me out ... who is he?
(BTW, to me the Amish are devout, faithful, kind, peaceful and charitable European-American ancestry native-born American citizens)
Thanks. But actually my “amish” snark was in reference to Perko.
FWIW, I didn’t realize/remember we’d lost a KC-130 in Pakistan.
Zactly! Sounds like this guy is not the only or the major poophead in this story.
Sadly, burglaries on funeral days of homes of deceased is all too common.
Sickening.
In earlier days someone from the family would stay at home to protect the house.
Yes, it has..
The only thing driving this creep is GREED.
The items were purchased by him, yes, and he owns them.
It is his right to do with them what he will.
But “just because you have the right to do something, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”
(Said by a Congressman whose name I forget)
Photos, a flag and dog tags should have been quietly and graciously given back to the family.
Trying to make a buck on our Fallen is just plain despicable.
Period.
Thanks for the link. Sorry to read that happened.
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