A terrific rally, great weather and happy patriots formed a magnificent wall of red, white, and blue.

Today’s highlight was a visit from a local Marine named Erin, she graduated from Downingtown High School and has been a Marine for five years. She held the flag for us while we sang the National Anthem.

She’s a sargeant, has been to Iraq and is currently training at Camp Lejeune for a tour in Afghanistan. She came with her Aunt Mary and her friend Laurie.

(will add more pictures later)

Since 2004, I’ve been to every Freedom Concert at Six Flags in New Jersey. This was the 7th one, they’ve all been great, but this one was my favorite. I always take my “THANK YOU TROOPS – THANK YOU MILITARY FAMILIES” sign.

The Hannity Freedom Concerts raise money for children of fallen military, they get full 4-year college scholarships. The concerts are wonderful, thousands of patriotic Americans, all there for one purpose – to honor our troops and their families.

Another strong patriotic display of public pride and support for our troops, their noble mission, and our country.

Nick held the flag for us as we sang the Star Spangled Banner and prayed for our troops protection and success.

There was an empty spot up front, where Frank McDermott, our WWII Veteran always was. Frank was an inspiration to all of us. Now he’s smiling at us from heaven and will always be in our hearts.

We received a nice sympathy card from a lady named Andi, who is a member of the Chester County Peace Movement. She wrote a thoughtful message about Frank. Andi has a son named Christopher in the Air Force who has been in the service for over 20 years and he’s currently serving in Iraq. All of us appreciate Andi’s kindness and will keep her son in our thoughts and prayers.

WWII Vet Frank passed away suddenly last Saturday Jul 31. There was a lot more to Frank than many of us knew.

His obituary appeared in today’s Daily Local Newspaper.

Francis J. ‘Frank’ McDermott of West Chester
Francis J. “Frank” McDermott, 84 of West Chester, passed away July 31, 2010.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Jane McDermott (McKniff), with whom he shared 53 years of marriage.

Born in Philadelphia, April 10, 1926, he was the son of the late Francis A. McDermott and Anna Mahon McDermott.

He proudly served in the U.S. Army 70th Tank Battalion in the European Theater during World War II.

He was a dedicated member of the Chester County Victory Movement http://americansheepdogs.com/

Frank received a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph’s University. He began his teaching career at St. Elizabeth’s High School and retired in 1988 after 33 years of teaching high school in Delaware. He coached football, basketball, and directed the theater program.

He was a lifelong, avid fisherman.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by sisters, Rita of Cherry Hill, N.J., Anne Clark (Bob) of Bowie, Md., and Marie of Madison, Wis.; proud father of sons, Frank of Athens, Ohio, Paul (Pam) of Tucson, Ariz., and John (Mary Jane) of Landenberg; daughters, Marianne (Ken Cattell) of Downingtown, Kathy of Mystic Island, N.J., and Sue (Tom Hitchner) of Mullica Hill, N.J.; and by nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.

He was predeceased by his sister, Helen McBride; and brother, Joseph.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Funeral Mass at noon Thursday, Aug. 5, at St. Agnes Church, 233 W. Gay St., West Chester, PA 19380. Interment is private. Visitation will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 5 at the DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home Inc., 410 N. Church St., West Chester, PA 19380, 610-696-1181, www.DellaFH.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Frank’s memory may be made to the St. Martins Ministries, Benedictine Sisters, 14259 Benedictine Lane, Ridgley, MD 21660.

I have very tough and sad news to relay. Our WWII vet, Frank McDermott, passed away yesterday afternoon (Saturday 7/31) at the hospital. Frank was probably our most loyal and most beloved sheepdog. For over 2 years he never missed a rally, even on the coldest days, in freezing rain or wind, he would show up on his scooter and take his spot on the corner.

Frank loved the troops, past and present, and would often get misty-eyed talking about the ones that didn’t come home. He always had 2 American flags on his scooter and he loved to hold the bright yellow “God Bless Our Troops” sign. Last Saturday, 7/24, Frank was very upbeat, his surgery was a few days away and he was ready to face danger once again. His daughter, Mary Ann was at the rally and took a lot of pictures of her dad doing what he loved to do.

Despite not having his legs, we all looked at Frank as a giant man. He stood head and shoulders above most of us in so many ways. Always positive, always smiling and friendly to all who said hello. I can never remember Frank ever being in a bad mood. He was a most humble man too. He was very gracious and modest when a stranger would thank him for his service during WWII.

On the coldest days, I would say, “Frank are you sure you can be here today?” And his answer was soft and clear, “This is the least I can do for our boys.” He never complained about anything, ever. We talk about honor and dignity and quiet strength and Frank exemplified all those qualities every week for us. Humility was his trademark. Always good-natured. He truly loved his country and our rallies became a major part of his life.

Frank’s best friend at our rallies is Nick. Nick likes to wear a military uniform in honor of the troops. Nick always brought Frank a coffee and would stand right next to Frank at every rally. They were inseparable. Very close friends. I was talking with Nick yesterday and he said, “I loved Frank, I loved our conversations. Frank gave me a lot of good advice.”
Yesterday Nick brought a card to the rally and we all signed it. All of us were anticipating Frank to recover and return to his favorite spot on the corner. Nick took the card to Frank’s house and left the card on the door.

I believe he was 83 years old. His wife Mickey is making arrangements and when I find out about the viewing and services, I will let everyone know.

Ironically, Frank’s great-grandson was born yesterday, in the same hospital, just 3 floors below. He was born a couple hours before Frank passed. His name is Jonas, he will be forever linked to his great-grandpa, an American hero.

Our heartfelt condolences go to his family.

Frank was truly a great man and loved all of us. As Nick said, “I know he’s in heaven.”