REMEMBERING YOU ON FLAG DAY

A TRIBUTE TO FRANK ON FLAG DAY. ALSO HIS JUNE 10TH BIRTHDAY. HE WAS A VERY PATRIOTIC MAN AND I CHOSE THIS HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER HIM.

Men are remembered for many honors and things,

Frank A. Pellegrino was a great man and wasn’t a King.

He was born to legal immigrant parents in 1922,

They lived in Niagara Falls, New York all their lives too.

 

For 84 years he lived in Niagara Falls except for WW II,

He was an American Patriot all his life too.

Frank Pellegrino loved life and all earthly planets,

He believed you only got out of life what you put into it.

 

He wrote about respecting our U.S. Flag and the red, white and blue,

Supporting our military under any circumstance, always being true.

He was a proud American and did not understand protesters,

He thought they abused American Free Speech with all their jesters.

 

He worked with the city officials on community affairs and crimes,

He wanted his own street to be clean and free of ugly grime.

He worried about the young generation with a lacking of morals,

He encouraged education, religion and a curfew for underage juveniles.

 

Frank growing up during the Great Depression and hard times,

He did not, nor his family ever owned a car, and he didn’t learn to drive.

They walked everywhere, to school, work and church in those days,

Since buses and taxi’s were few, walking was the only way.

 

Frank was a lover of animals and especially a dog that could live in the house,

He loved Beagles, one Sam and the other Tippy who was quiet as a mouse.

They both died of cancer after a long happy life with him to remember,

He wanted a third beagle before he passed away in December.

 

The war had taken him overseas and many beautiful places he never forgot,

Some of his poems were of the European beauty that he had seen a lot.

His WW II experiences made him a true military man,

He always wrote about his love for his fellow man and this great land.

 

Before he died, he prayed he could swing on the moon each night,

He wanted to hang out the stars and watch them twinkle very bright.

He believed there are planets that have not been explored to this day,

Since God created Earth, then he created the others for us, he would say.

 

He used to say I didn’t go to college I went to the Army to serve for mankind,

But God gave me a brain with my body and he guides my hand and mind.

He always underestimated his intelligence, but strived for perfection,

He had the best Common Sense and a good sense of direction.

 

He would tell the young boys who stopped by the house to chat,

Always ‘be all you can be” and don’t give up or fall flat.

Frank wanted this young generation to be leaders of tomorrow,

He worried about them becoming dormant and sorrowful.

 

He wished that he could have had some of the opportunities that are offered today,

It bothered him watching so many turn their backs and failing in so many ways.

He fretted over those who took welfare aid or SSI when used as an escape,

Issues America is Facing was a concern on his written page.

 

He compared apples to oranges by writing roses are red and violets are blue,

One never knew for sure where his limericks would take them and be true.

He could be serious in his writings and he could write love poems,

If anyone doubted his love for his wife, then they should have read his prose.

 

Frank was a deep thinker and tried to read people’s minds and actions,

He worried about the world’s controversies and all their reactions.

WW III he said would go up in fire like the Bible predicted for the Eastern nations,

He prayed our military would be strong and always ready for any retaliation.

 

So when you see a Soldier or a Military Parade walking down your street,

Think of Frank A. Pellegrino as you salute every Soldier you meet.

He was the Grand Marshall at his last Memorial Day Parade,

Almost too ill to appreciate the honor they gave him as they waved.

 

Frank went to Heaven on a cold day in December,

God called him home and left us to honor and remember.

Remember this man, the true American Soldier who loved the United States,

He honored his country, his fellow soldiers and loved his wife and mate.

 

[Honoring Frank on Flag Day June 14, 2009]

Also his birthday June 10, 2009

 

 

Author's Note

i HOPE YOU ENJOY THE SIMPLE ITALIAN SOLDIER STORY AND HOW MUCH HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY AND SHOWED HIS PATRIOTISM FOR MANKIND AND THE UNITED STATES FLAG.