Gunnery Sgt. Eldar and Rebecca Krueger show their young children, Abigail, 3, and Oliver, 8 months, the 400 flags the family plans to distribute to homes on Camp McTureous on Wednesday. (Cindy Fisher / S&S)
Pacific edition, Thursday, July 5, 2007
CAMP MCTUREOUS, Okinawa — This is the Krueger family’s first Fourth of July on Okinawa. So they wanted to make it special.
Gunnery Sgt. Eldar Krueger and his wife, Rebecca, decided to plant American flags in front of “every single home on Camp McTureous Housing,” Rebecca said.
The couple had seen such patriotic displays in neighborhoods stateside and wanted to do something similar while overseas, she said.
“We thought it would be a nice thing to do (and) it would look nice to drive by and see all the flags,” she said.
“It will look like a little bit of the United States here,” added her husband, who is with 3rd Marine Division.
The couple ordered 400 flags for about $130 and added a “Happy 4th of July” message to each.
They planned to distribute the flags after dark Tuesday once everyone was inside for the day. That way, neighborhood children wouldn’t pull the flags up before July 4, the gunnery sergeant said.
He had already reconned the fastest route to take through the camp and estimated they could plant the flags with their two young children in tow in about an hour and 10 minutes.
But it’s not about the money or time, Rebecca said.
“It’s worth it if people come out, see the flags and smile.”
