Church Painting Obstacles.  In The End, Wood Ladders Got It Done!

Upon recently bidding on a church painting job in Perth Amboy,NJ I called in a scaffolding erection company to set up scaffolding around the alter, the cost $7500.00 to erect and dismantle, not happening. Next I contacted a lift company to scope out job site but there equipment could not make the turn thru the front door due to the pews being in the way. The church did not want the pews removed for whatever reason so I was in an awkward position and did not want to lose the job. By the way this was a water damage job in which above the alter had black water stains above the alter.

So I knew this would have to be accomplished by the use of 2 36 foot and 1 40 foot ladders. I had the equipment in my yard under tarps they were made in New Haven,Ct by the Flint Ladder Co. and I bought them in 1985. The question was would they stand the test of being taken out of the ”moth balls” and get the job done. In today’s industry wood ladders are laughed at as fiberglass and aluminum are the way to go. So we gave them a shot positioning them between the pews and working them. I must say this was not easy because of the tight squeeze and the weight of the ladders. The 40 footer proved most difficult to raise up and down due to the fact that it was getting hung up on molding that was jutting out of the wall.

The kitchen — everyone wants a bigger one, a better one, a more beautiful one. In fact, in a 2009 Consumer Reports poll, homeowners chose the kitchen as their favorite room to remodel.

Check out what some local experts have been doing for your neighbors around town … and start planning your own kitchen remodeling.

The projects below are only some examples of the companies’ work. All these remodelers offer a range of services and work within a variety of budgets. Note that all costs may vary based on project specs and manufacturers’ current pricing.

$2,800 for flooring — Capitol Floors & Decorating

When they replaced their kitchen flooring, one Chesterfield County couple wanted to go with an eco-friendly material. While ceramic, stone and bamboo were all on Capitol Floors & Decorating’s list of recommendations, the couple chose cork because it’s also easy on a cook’s feet, legs and back. Plus, cork is a little less expensive than ceramic tile. “The styling and designing of cork has dramatically expanded recently,” says Capitol’s president, Marc Vest, giving homeowners more choices than ever.

$7,500 for countertops, backsplash, plumbing and knee wall — Royal Virginia Granite

The owners of this Glen Allen home hired Royal Virginia Granite to give their kitchen a fresh look. While the name might sound like the company does only granite, it has expanded to include a variety of remodeling services. For this couple, the company rebuilt a knee wall, fabricated and installed exotic granite countertops, designed and installed backsplash tile, replaced the sink, faucet and garbage disposal, and rebuilt the plumbing. “They have recommended us to their friends,” says Tod Pearson, president of Royal Virginia Granite, which is perhaps the highest form of praise.

$21,000 for cabinets and countertops — Old River Cabinets

“People buy our cabinets because they can get what they want,” says Victor Morrissette, president and owner of Old River Cabinets, which custom-designs and builds high-quality cabinetry and countertops. In this Stonewall Court kitchen, the homeowner needed not only new cabinets and countertops but also extra counter space and seating that would work comfortably within his existing space. Old River Cabinets designed a curved island that fit his space perfectly and matched the maple, raised-panel cabinets and bullnose granite countertops that the company designed and installed in the rest of his kitchen. This kitchen was totally transformed.

$30,000 for full kitchen remodeling (not including appliances) — Kitchen Crafters & Bath

The owner of this West End kitchen wanted to update her kitchen while giving it a more open feel. To transform the room from cramped and closed-in to open and airy, Kitchen Crafters & Bath upgraded the lighting, enlarged the doorway between the kitchen and family room, and removed the soffits, appropriating the extra space for the new cherry cabinetry. To save the customer money, rather than replacing the desk and the cabinets above it, the company painted them and added glass in the cabinet doors, says Steve Huber, certified kitchen designer and sales manager for Kitchen Crafters & Bath, which specializes in complete kitchen and bath remodeling. Quartz countertops, a ceramic tile backsplash and hardwood floors completed the updated look.

$47,800 for full kitchen remodeling (not including appliances) — Custom Kitchens

Making a 92-square-foot kitchen in a Richmond condo near Dogwood Dell look more open and elegant might sound like an impossible feat, but not for Custom Kitchens, which has been pulling off challenges like this for more than half a century. “We cut a pass-through into the back wall (overlooking the living room) and used mirrored backsplashes to make the space feel larger than it actually is,” says Doug Leake, certified kitchen designer with Custom Kitchens. The full-service kitchen and bath design/build firm also outfitted the customer’s compact kitchen with beautifully crafted solid-wood cabinets, wood fronts on appliances (to keep from detracting from the cabinets) and top-quality granite countertops. Four-member crown molding and hardwood flooring elegantly tie the stunning room together.

Terri L. Jones is a Richmond freelance writer.

Consider the real-life, long-term care example of Joe. He had helped care for both his parents for many years. So, he decided to purchase LTCi to help protect his family from the same responsibilities that he had with his parents. Later in life, Joe developed an advanced stage of diabetes and several health problems occurred, including blindness and the amputation of his leg. His LTCi policy helped him stay at home by paying for renovations to his home, including ramps and grab bars. The care coordinator helped walk Joe and his wife through the types of care he needed and provided a referral list of care providers in the area. His wife was able to receive caregiver training and a home health care nurse visits during the day while his wife is at work. LTCi has helped Joe stay in his home and have the care he needs.

THE TRUTH

Long Term Care insurance provides a wide array of benefits to help your clients stay in their homes should they ever have a long-term care need.

A Care Coordinator can help your client through a very stressful situation and provides guidance to your clients and their families. Care Coordinators are Licensed Health Care Practitioners that are familiar with the community and a variety of local resources and services. They can help answer many of your clients’ questions and help them receive needed care.

The Cash Benefit can help provide your client with that little bit of extra money during a time of need.

The Home and Adult Day Care Benefit helps your clients stay home as long as possible because qualified Home Care, Home Health Care and Adult Day Care service charges will be reimbursed, up to the Maximum Daily Benefit.

And as an added bonus, in most states, all these home care benefits are not subject to the Elimination Period and can begin once your client has qualified to receive benefits.

The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has announced its annual cost-of-living and inflation adjustments for 2013. Tax laws require the IRS to adjust the dollar amounts of dozens of tax provisions each year to account for inflation, including adjustments for eligible long-term care insurance (“LTCI”) premium deductions.

Tax-qualified LTCI premiums are considered medical expenses. For an individual who itemizes income tax deductions, medical expenses are deductible to the extent that they exceed a certain percentage of the individual’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).The amount of the LTCI premium treated as a medical expense is limited to the eligible LTCI premiums, as defined by Internal Revenue Code section 213(d), based on the age of the insured individual. That portion of the LTCI premium that exceeds the eligible long-term care insurance premiums is not allowed as a medical expense.

Important: Change in Threshold

Due to a provision in the Affordable Care Act, the floor for claiming itemized deductions on federal income tax returns is increasing from 7.5% to 10%, starting with the upcoming 2013 tax year. For those attained age 65 and older, however, the threshold remains at 7.5% for tax years 2013-2016.

Per Diem Limitation

“The Forgotten War,” “The Unknown War,” whatever the name, the Korean War remains a significant part of American history that has sadly been overlooked for the past sixty years. For one young Virginia soldier, Private First Class George Washington Jackson, Jr. and his family, this forgotten cause came with a high price.

George Washington Jackson, Jr. was always known as a caring and unique individual. While growing up in the city of Richmond he showed a devout devotion to the needs of others especially his family. While attending Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, he also worked as a clerk in a local pharmacy taking on the financial responsibility for the household while his father was ill. The hard work ethic that was instilled in George transferred over into his service in the US Army.

After being drafted in October of 1950, George was sent to Korea the following August where he was assigned to the First Target Acquisition Battalion, 25^thArtillery, at Camp Nomad Charlie.

During his time in Korea, George displayed selfless acts of kindness by teaching English to the children of the neighboring villages. His sister, Frances Curtis, described his thought process by stating, “He utilized his time while he was in the camp to do everything he could to uphold the American ideals.”

These ideals became a haunting reality on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1951. George and his unit, a sound ranging communications group, were positioned near Kojanhari-Saemal when heavy enemy fire broke out.

Disregarding his own safety, George left safe cover in order to obtain accurate measure from his observation post to the enemy fire. He succeeded in his brave task but was shortly thereafter killed by an enemy mortar round. As a result of his accomplishment a number of enemy artillery were silenced, saving the men in his unit.

His heroism did not go unnoticed for his mother and father soon received the Silver Star posthumously for their son’s gallantry in action. Not only did they receive the Silver Star, but the same camp that had once been home to George during his short stay in Korea was renamed Camp Jackson in his honor in 1966.

These heroes will never be forgotten and George Jackson’s own mother was a testament to that idea. Two years after George’s death, Mrs. Jackson read of the Gold Star Mothers Convention in Atlantic City. She took it upon herself to start a Richmond Chapter in order to help heal the wounds of the mothers of Richmond who had lost their own children in war. After serving as chapter president twice, she became the National President in 1967. She thoughtfully stated of her service that, “I felt the sting of my son’s death very sharply and it was hard to bear, but when I found out the hardships of others, my own seemed very small.” Mrs. Jackson ultimately possessed the same strength and courage of her fallen son.

A few days ago I had the pleasure of meeting George’s nephew, Wilton Curtis, who shared this wonderful yet tragic story with me. Wilton is one of our most devoted docents at the Virginia War Memorial and is one of the reasons why we can preserve and pay tribute to these truly great stories of sacrifice.

Kyndall S. Drumheller is an education assistant at the Virginia War Memorial.

BY PAMELA S. McELRATH

Clarence Singleton is a motivational speaker, author, former United States Marine, a veteran of the Vietnam War, and a Purple Heart Medal recipient. Singleton is also a decorated former New York City Fire Fighter whose unit responded to the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, where he was credited with saving numerous lives.

After retiring from the NYCFD in 2000, Singleton volunteered for duty on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, where he was seriously wounded; he was featured in “One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001″ by the authors of Life Magazine.

One of eight children, Clarence Singleton was born in Sumter, South Carolina, in 1949. After his father deserted the family when Singleton was six years old, he held numerous jobs (frequently being taken out of school) to help support his family while managing to keep his grades well above average. Before graduating from Lincoln High School in 1967, Singleton enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was sent for recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. During training, he was selected as the Outstanding Member of his platoon—an honor bestowed upon the recruit who most nearly attains the characteristics of an ideal United States Marine—and he was meritoriously promoted.

Singleton served in Vietnam as a Lance Corporal with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines. With only 28 days left in his tour of duty, Singleton he received multiple wounds while trying to save lives during a 122-rocket attack on his unit, which earned him the Purple Heart Medal. After more than a year of hospital care in Japan and the Charleston Naval Hospital, Singleton decided redirect his life and moved to New York City where one of his older sisters lived.

In 1969 Singleton was employed by Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company where during his nine-year tenure, worked his way up to supervisor of the Quality Control. Deciding to pursue a degree, Singleton enrolled in New York City Community College in 1975 while holding down his full-time position. In 1978, he decided to join the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

During his 22-year tenure with the FDNY, he received a number of awards for bravery and outstanding initiative. In 1993, he and his fire unit responded to the first attack on the World Trade Center where he was credited with saving numerous lives including that of a pregnant worker who went into labor during the attack. In 1994, Singleton was promoted to Fire Lieutenant and sent to supervise the firehouse in Bushwick, a sprawling neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. In August, 2000, he retired from the FDNY.

When the World Trade Center was again attacked on September 11, 2001, Singleton, donning his fire fighter uniform, voluntarily went to “Ground Zero” to help. Working at the base of the collapsed North tower, along with another fire fighter and police officer, he extinguished numerous ambulance, fire truck and other fires. While there, the second tower collapsed, seriously injuring Singleton. After being treated at a nearby hospital, Singleton made his way back to Ground Zero seeing what he could do to help. Suffering from extensive injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, Singleton decided to leave New York City and ultimately ended up in Midlothian, Virginia.

Singleton has delivered numerous inspirational speeches throughout the Mid-Atlantic. He has been featured in a number of regional publications and he has appeared on the Montel Williams Show, as well as several radio stations. For the past three years, including 2012, Singleton has delivered the keynote address at the Chesterfield County’s Honor and Remembrance Ceremony, commemorating the anniversary of 9/11—the day that changed the world.

On September 11, 2012, Singleton, starting a new chapter in his life, married Ms. Mary Jean Hayres. In early 2013, a book detailing the events in his life will be published.

Pamela S. McElrath is president and chief marketing officer for Excite Marketing Team in Richmond. Va.

INTERVIEWED BY DANIEL JONES

When you saw Gregg Tomes in BOOMER’s Aug.-Sept. issue, the 32-year-old was an unemployed military veteran with no job prospects.

Yet he’d served our country proudly as a Marine; and he had war experience – his unit was the first deployed to Afghanistan, in September 2001.Two years later, he left the Corps; but the Corps could never leave his blood.

Still, finding solid, worthwhile work was hard – even despite his experience in leadership, teamwork and strategic thinking.

A few months down the road, and the Sandston native has found work and continues on his path as a father, a Virginian — and an American.

Here is the conversation with Gregg.

Q. WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL MOTIVATION IN BECOMING A MARINE?

A. I wasn’t the best kid growing up. Well, I joined the MCJROTC at Highland Springs High School. I met Lt. Col. Paul D. Roy — who is the reason I became a Marine. I owed him high school. He knew what “Semper Fi” meant.

Q: WHAT WAS YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY WHILE SERVING? WHAT WERE YOUR DUTIES? RANK?

A. I was a Marine Corporal.

Q: AMERICANS ARE WELL AWARE OF SOME OF THE MORE HEART-BREAKING AND DEVASTATING ASPECTS OF WAR, BUT WHAT DID YOU GAIN AND LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE MILITARY?

A. I learned that the Marines are a loyal bunch.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR BETTER MEMORIES OF SERVING – ARE THERE ANY THAT WILL LIVE WITH YOU FOREVER?

A. I remember seeing the sunset on a ship in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean. I’ve seen sunsets in Egypt, Italy, Spain, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Slovenia; I’ve seen beauty in places where bullet holes are more common.

Q: WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE MILITARY IN 2003?

A. End of Active Service, or EASed.

Q: HOW DID AMERICAN SOCIETY RESPOND TO YOUR RETURN TO THE STATES ? DID YOU FEEL HONORED FOR YOUR SERVICE?

A. When I came home from Afghanistan, it was not really talked about. I just came home to Richmond and started my life. Afghanistan was the forgotten war when I cam home.

Q: GREGG, YOU SAID, IN BOOMER’S GIVING BACK STORY, IN THE AUG.-SEPT. ISSUE, THAT YOU DIDN’T WANT A JOB, YOU WANTED A CAREER. WHERE HAVE YOU FOUND WORK? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

A. I am working for Electricomm; I have found a job to call home. My brother Mike works there as well. I do electrical work.

Q: HOW DID YOU FIND AND SECURE THAT JOB? WHAT HELPED YOU?

A. I had worked a couple of days. I’ve been here for two months. Best boss I’ve ever had. I like to wake up and go to work.

Q: IS THERE ANY ADVICE FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN GAINING THAT JOB YOU THAT CAN SHARE HERE? ANY TIPS, PERSPECTIVES, OR APPROACHES THAT COULD HELP OUR VETERANS GET THE JOBS THEY WANT AND DESERVE.

A. I never gave up hope on getting a job. You just had to keep getting out there. If you call a company everyday, they either hire or get harassment charges. I would have gotten arrested to get the job.

Q: WHY YOU DO FEEL THAT SO MANY VETERANS STRUGGLE WITH FINDING WORK WHEN THEY RETURN FROM OVERSEAS?

A. When we get home, it’s really a shock. Because you are finally able to process what happened to you … Sometimes, processing what happened doesn’t really work out in our favor. The brotherhood that I had as a marine is something very hard to find. We are trained leaders and we can handle combat. We can handle anything.

Q: CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE HONOR OF SERVING OUR COUNTRY? WHAT IS IT LIKE TAKING ON SUCH A RESPONSIBILITY?

A. I tried my hardest to do my job as a Marine. … I’m a Proud United States Marine.

Q: THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH US TODAY, GREGG. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT YOUR PROGRESS. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

A. Thank you very Much. Semper Fi.

Cowboy Preacher-Vet Honors Those Never Coming Home for Christmas

BY MARTHA STEGER

Many of us have placed Christmas wreaths on the graves of deceased family members as an old Virginia tradition. Since 2007, the tradition has had a new twist for deceased veterans, thanks to Chesterfield County veteran and “cowboy preacher,” Rev. R. J. “Rocky” Angone, Jr.

Rocky, who served in Vietnam 1968-69, took the initiative five years ago to get Virginia involved in “Wreaths Across America” www.wreathsacrossamerica.org, which places holiday wreaths on veterans’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 600 other locations nationwide, including at least eight participating Richmond-area cemeteries and 30 statewide. This year’s memorial event, including a bikers’ ride to Richmond National Cemetery, is Sat., Dec. 15.

Angone considers himself extraordinarily lucky to have returned home from his tour of duty without a physical wound, though “I returned a psychological mess,” he says with the good-natured laugh of one who any life events in stride. He says he was the only one “left unscathed” of six crew chiefs of C-model gunships known as “Hueys” in his Air Cavalry troop of the 11^th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

To assist with the “Remember, Honor and Teach” motto of the effort on behalf of the fallen and wounded, Rocky serves as director of corporate giving for the Richmond-area wreath-laying project. He’ll be on his Harley, “Babe,” leading the ride to the local cemetery — unless he’s in Arlington on December 5^th, where Governor and Mrs. McDonnell might be placing wreaths.

Rocky invites anyone interested in contributing to the effort to contact him at rjangone@yahoo.com or 804-586-5060. For national information, go to www.wreathsacrossamerican.org, Wreaths Across America, P. O. Box 249, Columbus Falls, ME 04623, 877-385-9504.

Midlothian-based freelance writer Martha Steger is a Society of American Travel Writers’ Marco Polo member who has covered destinations ranging from a South African safari to hiking in western Maine. For 25 years she was public relations director for the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Remembering one Richmond veteran

BY DANIEL JONES

Missouri-born, raised in Colorado, the late Col. Carl Sitter called Richmond his home for the second-half of his life.

Now, with several of his medals (including his Congressional Medal of Honor for his “gallantry” and “intrepidity” in Korea) and pictures of him with several U.S. presidents now well preserved at the Virginia War Memorial, Richmonders won’t hesitate to consider this once highly-decorated Marine one of their own.

In Korea, as commanding officer of his battalion, he was ordered to break through enemy-infested territory. Sitter, despite heavy causalities (himself wounded), harsh conditions and constant fire from the out-numbered Chinese, refused to abandon his mission and post, and led his company successfully forward.

Sitter was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration awarded to a member of the armed forces for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.

Col. Sitter was a hero – although his wife, Ruth Sitter, said he never aimed for it. It was just who he was.

“He always said, ‘I was just doing my job – I didn’t feel like I did anything to deserve anything like this. I was just trying to take care of my men the best I could.’ ”

Daniel Jones is BOOMER‘s editorial assistant. Contact him at Daniel@TheBoomerMagazine.com.

BY CATHY TYLER

My father, Colonel David W. Schumaker, USMC, retired, is a veteran. He served in WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam. In 1991 he was eager to march off for Desert Storm. At age 72 that year, he didn’t get the call; however, I began to understand “veteran.” “Once a Marine, Always a Marine” took on new meaning.

As a post-war product, I wasn’t around for his first deployment. From the many letters he wrote my mother, and those of hers to him that survived duty in the Pacific, I’ve gotten a slight flavor for his experience. His surreptitious war journal and infrequent tales added dimension.

“I knew I wasn’t coming home,” he says. “Lieutenants were getting killed left and right. I said goodbye to everyone before I left. I was comfortable with my mechanical ability, so I went in for bomb disposal.”

It was a long two-plus years away from home and family: long stretches on the ship or camped on humid, muggy islands; interspersed with intense periods of beach landings under fire and clearing runways of unexploded ordinance. He came home in October 1945 with a Bronze Star for action in Guam, and married my mother in February of 1946.

In mid 1953, when I was almost four years old, my sister was not quite two, and my brother was six months old, my father shipped out of San Diego for Korea.

“When I signed up in 1942 I already had a degree in engineering from UVA, but I hadn’t taken the professional engineering exam,” he says. “After the war I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to pass it, and wouldn’t be able to find civilian employment. So unlike many other officers with college degrees, I stayed in. My degree and bomb disposal experience led to involvement with atomic tests and logistics. When orders came for the Korean Conflict, I knew I would probably be located with the administrative areas in Japan.”

As it turned out, the armistice ending the conflict was signed as they were on the high seas, and he did spend most of the 13-month deployment in Japan.

Meanwhile my mother drove their Packard, hauling all three of us, and a cargo trailer, from California to Patterson, Ga., where we spent that year with my grandmother.

In her small home town, Momma would walk with us every day down the dirt road along the railroad track, stop to speak with Grandmama, who ran the depot as station agent for Atlantic Coastline, then cross the tracks to the post office. Most days there would be one or two letters from my father, with sticks of Juicy Fruit gum for my sister and me. It was a wonderful life with all my aunts, uncles and cousins around.

Looking back through my parents’ letters it was a year of challenge for them. Momma had three of us to keep up with. Daddy was the Atomic, Biological, and Chemical Warfare Officer for the Third Marine Division and during part of his time participated in an investigation into a boating accident in Inchon Harbor, Korea, where 27 Marines and Navy men drowned.

His third time out, Viet Nam, 1966, he anticipated another 13-month stint. We were teenagers at this point and I was just entering my senior year of high school. Momma was not happy. Daddy got his head shaved in preparation for the tropical climate. Not long after my father left, we got a dog. Momma scheduled the three of us to write weekly in rotation. We also sent tape cassettes back and forth. I’m not sure what happened to those.

He was shipped back to the States with a blood clot after just three months, most of which had been spent in a hospital in Da Nang. Several months at Bethesda Naval Medical Center followed before he finally came home. He was not pleased to find an animal added to his household. When he attempted to evict the dog, Momma told him, if the dog went, she went. We got to keep our pet. As in any household with young adults, the dynamics were in constant flux, but it was good for all of us to be together again.

WHAT DOES “VETERAN” MEAN?

To me it’s my father, who made happen whatever the Marine Corps asked of him.

He defended our freedoms and liberties, while marrying a good woman, raising a family, and maintaining a safe home for all of us.

I’m confident that at 93 years old, if the Marines called today, he would go.

Catherine S. Tyler (Cathy) is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and is retired from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. She enjoys textile art, photography, hiking and spending time with her extended family. Follow her blog at cathytyler.wordpress.com.