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Paul Muschick: 'It's so nice to see that people still appreciate our retired veterans'

Morning Call - 3/5/2019

March 04-- Mar. 4--Just before Christmas, I noted how we would be hearing a lot of holiday-season stories about kindness and generosity, and how great it would be if that spirit lasted all year long.

My wish was granted last week with a call from Richard Anewalt of Salisbury Township.

He contacted The Morning Call because he wanted to express his gratitude to a woman who bought breakfast for him and eight others, most of them veterans, at Queen City Diner in Allentown.

Anewalt, also known as Butch, and his friends meet there every Wednesday. They're all in their 70s. Seven members of the group are veterans, and they proudly wear caps commemorating their service. The caps caught the attention of another diner, a woman with a little girl, who paid for their meal last Wednesday.

"It's so nice to see that people still appreciate our retired veterans," Anewalt told me.

The group's waitress told them about the patron's generosity, and they all went over to thank her. Anewalt didn't serve in the military, and said he wanted to make sure she knew that.

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "You guys are having a good time over there and I appreciate your service."

It turned out that the woman's son is serving in the military now.

"That's what I guess drew her attention to it," Anewalt said. "I thought it was very, very nice of her. It's true you don't see a lot of it nowadays, really."

Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening, though. Many good Samaritans don't want credit for what they do. And they do exist year-round.

On Friday, The Morning Call published a letter to the editor from an Allen Township woman who wrote to thank a man who pushed her stalled car out of traffic. She got only his first name, and wanted to know how much she appreciated his help.

Anewalt told me he did some sleuthing and got the name of the woman who bought his group's breakfast. I was unable to reach her and I'm not sure if she wants the publicity, so I decided not to identify her.

But I hope she sees this and realizes that her good deed did not go unnoticed.

Anewalt estimates the bill she picked up was $60 or $70. He told me he offered her $30 but she wouldn't take it, so he left $20 and told the woman to put it in the girl's piggy bank.

He said his group's waitress told them that in all the years she's worked there, she had never seen someone pick up the tab for an entire table as that woman did.

"I just thought it would be a nice gesture to recognize her," Anewalt told me. "Thank you ... from the bottom of our hearts."

paul.muschick@mcall.com

610-820-6582

Paul Muschick's columns are published Monday through Friday at themorningcall.com and Sunday, Wednesday and Friday in The Morning Call. Follow me on Facebook at PaulMuschickColumns, Twitter @mcwatchdog and themorningcall.com/muschick.

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