MEXICO — Nearly a month after a Peru resident fought to get the American flag raised at the Peru post office, a Mexico resident has followed suit by getting a flag raised at the Mexico post office.

Gary Coffin, 62, was present Nov. 5 when a field maintenance crew from the U.S. Postal Service arrived at the Peru post office to fix the broken flagpole that had prevented a flag from being raised. Coffin said that a few days after the flag in Peru was raised, he received an unsigned, unaddressed letter in his mailbox. 

The letter applauded Coffin for aiding in the Peru flag being raised, but also said, “What I cannot understand is why you have allowed your own post office to not fly a flag for over six months.”

Coffin said he was upset by the letter, particularly since he wasn’t aware that the Mexico post office wasn’t flying a flag.

“I took that letter as a ridicule, a slap in the face, if you will,” Coffin said. “Had I known, prior to the Peru flag being raised, that the Mexico flag was not flying, I would have done something about it.” 

After reading the letter, Coffin said he immediately went to Mexico Postmaster Jack Kaubris to ask him about the flag.

“He told me that the flag had to be taken down because the rope holding it up frayed,” Coffin said. “All it needed was a new rope.”

Coffin later went to fire Chief Gary Wentzell to see what could be done.

“The post office did get ahold of us about the rope being frayed and the flag being down,” Wentzell said. “We’ve just been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to do it.”

After approaching Wentzell and Kaubris, Coffin said the ball started rolling much quicker.

“Chief Wentzell said he would take a firetruck ladder to go up and replace the rope,” Coffin said.

Coffin said that the day after Thanksgiving, before the Thanksgiving parade began, Wentzell and the officer on duty, Mike Chartier, brought the firetruck to the the post office and took down the frayed rope. Coffin said he went to Aubuchon’s to buy 100 feet of rope, returned it to Wentzell, and within a couple of hours, they were able to raise the flag again.

“There were no issues like in Peru,” Coffin said. “We were able to just get the rope, attach it and put the flag up all on the same day.”

Wentzell said he bought some brackets Thursday morning, and installed them on the pole to make sure the rope stays in place and doesn’t fray as much.

Coffin said his next step is buying a refurbished flag somewhere to replace the one that’s flying at the post office.

“The flag’s a little bit tattered,” Coffin said. “I want to make sure there’s a nice new one flying up there.”

 mdaigle@sunjournal.com

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