Patriotic Front Porch 2016

Welcome to my Patriotic Front Porch!!

I know I just recently shared my front porch after I finally was able to plant all my annuals........

And now I have it all decked out for Memorial Day!!

The addition of a few flags here and there really adds a Patriotic look.....

I added 2 flags to this large urn along with a metal firecracker!

I added a Patriotic bow to the post......

A star hangs on this side of the door.....

A Patriotic Wreath that I made few years ago hangs on the front door.......

Because of the weeping mortar on the front of the house, I am able to hang some  Patriotic Decorations......

The metal wreath was bought in Kohl's on Clearance and the stars were bought at The Christmas Tree Shop.......

The Freedom wreath was bought on Clearance last year in Big Lot's and I made the basket.......

In the corner of the porch........

The Patriotic Buntings hanging on the railing was bought last year on clearance also in Big Lot's......

More flags added to pots and another Patriotic bow adorns the top of the tree in the corner of the porch.....

Flags were added to these urns on the side of the flower bed under out Living Room window...

While I was taking pictures, I was joined by a little"Friend"

"Mr. Chip"

And more flags were added to these 2 pots.......

The flag on the front porch says it all........

 We are Proud To Be.........

 An American!!

 Now our front porch is ready for Memorial Day!!!

 Update:

This is what the Porch and Yard looked like for the 4th of July!!

 You can see how much my flowers grew!!


 I want to THANK all those who have served and are presently serving our Country as members of the Military!!

 My Dad was a Master Sargent in the Army during World War II

 Joe's Dad was a Marine in the Korean War and is a Purple Heart recipient having been wounded not once but twice.......

 He currently speaks at various Veteran's events......

Photo Courtesy of Frank Balon's Facebook site with this comment:
" Joe Barna recites his poem "A Veteran's Prayer" prior Father Mike Kloton's Memorial Day morning Mass at St. Ann's Cemetery."


This is an Editorial that he wrote for the local newspaper a few years ago:

 Barna: I am a survivor

Published: July 27, 2013

Editor:
July 27 is a day when there will be no parades, no picnics, no speeches, and no flags displayed. But to a very special group of people who served and fought for America, July 27, 1953, is the day that the Korean War ended. Those families who lost a loved one in that far-off country will not celebrate, but remember the prayers, pain and tears shed for their loved ones that were lost so long ago.
Many of you who are reading this may not have been born at the time of the Korean War. You will rightly think that 60 years is a long time ago. In Korea, I fought in a war in which I was wounded. As I was bleeding heavily from a bayonet wound, a Navy Corpsman looked into my eyes and told me that if he did not stop the flow of blood, I would bleed to death. He sewed my wound and bandaged it up. And I went back to my brothers in the battle. A few weeks ago, I was attending a funeral dinner when a teenaged boy, whom I did not know, came up to me and showed me a picture of that Navy Corpsman on his phone. My mind went back 60 years to that night when this 22-year-old man gave me six more decades of life. This particular Corpsman was Congressional Medal of Honor Winner John Kilmer, Seaman Second Class, U.S. Navy. This true hero gave his life three weeks after saving mine when he died while saving three Marines. I will never forget July 27, nor will I ever forgot Navy Corpsman John Kilmer.
I will never forget the Korean people. I lived among them for more than a year. I saw what war can do to a country. I saw the South Korean people trying to pay us back for coming to their defense as the North Koreans and the Chinese swept over their towns and villages. The cost to America in lives and money was great. No one ever said, "Was it worth it?" You would have to ask the people of South Korea who live there today. In almost every battle, where Americans were being killed or wounded, Korean civilians, mothers, fathers, children and even grandparents would go among our dead and wounded and carry them down off the hills. To see four young children try to carry a soldier or Marine, each holding an arm or leg, is a sight one never forgets.
I pray that we never see this in our country.
During the summer of 2011, I was able to visit the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. During my visit to the memorial, two Korean families approached me. They saw my Marine Corps hat and shirt. I told them that I was in their country many years before. They spoke in broken English or translated by their tour guide, but I knew everything they tried to say. They couldn't thank me enough. One woman thanked me for giving her the family that she has now. We talked and then we cried openly and unashamed. No words can describe the hugs, the bows, and even a few kisses that I got that day. I guess, at least for me, the question, "Was it worth it?" can be answered. Yes, it was.
Please do not believe that I write trying to glamorize myself. I was only one of about one million Americans who found themselves in the Korean War. These included the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines. Approximately 1/3 were killed, wounded or missing in action. I do not want to portray myself as a hero, only a survivor.
I write to tell people of the lives and the sacrifices that are part of Veterans lives. I want our citizens today to recognize what war means to a veteran and what it means to all our current military men and women who are serving our country today. I am proud to have served with so many young and not-so-young Americans. For me, the war provided a small but important part of my life that I will never forget. No one can see death and destruction in such a short period of time and ever forget it. Life is full of memories, some good and some bad, and I feel that I have had my share of both.
Joseph Barna
Freeland
USMC, Korea 1952-1953

This is picture was taken 2 years ago at The Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

My sons, Jim, Joey, Joe and his Dad........

And also remembering my late great nephew Craig who served in the Army Reserves......

 I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend but let us not forget the true meaning of this Holiday.....

We have had high temps. close to 90!!!

Way too HOT for me!!

We got our air conditioners put in the windows just in time and I spent Saturday inside decorating the Living Room with my Patriotic Decor.........

My Summer Patriotic Tree......

And the top of the TV entertainment center...........

In my upcoming posts, I will be sharing my Patriotic Decor which will stay up for most of the Summer.......

So I hope you will be back to visit soon!!

And thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......

Hugs,
Debbie

 

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