WAWAYANDA- Kathy Carroll and her husband, Mike, put up American flags in their neighborhood on Mount Orange Road on July 4th two years ago to demonstrate their patriotism and admiration for the stars and stripes.
The display was a hit and volunteers stepped up to assist the couple with putting up flags on September 11th, Veterans Day and for the first time this weekend for Memorial Day. More than 250 large American flags can be seen on Mount Orange Road, County Route 49 and State Route 6.
“We are a very patriotic family and we feel the Memorial Day display is the most meaningful,” Kathy Carroll said. “It is a day to honor those we lost serving our country and anything we can do to memorialize them is important. We don’t want anyone to ever forget their sacrifices.”
The couple were moved to start putting up the flags because of their deep appreciation for the military. Both Kathy and Mike Carroll’s fathers served in the military, in the U.S. Navy, as did many other relatives. Mike and about 10 volunteers, including Boy Scouts from Troop 58 in Slate Hill, started setting up the flags on Friday morning.
It took about six hours to put all the flags up. The group will take them down after the holiday weekend. Mid-Hudson News Publisher Mike Martucci, Orange County Legislator Janet Sutherland and Dr. Erv Burros and his wife, Jan, donated POW/MIA flags to be included in the display. Local businesses Boyce Excavating & Environmental Forest Products and TAM Enterprises also assisted with the set up of the flags.
“I just want everyone to come together, respect the flag and to all get along,” Mike Carroll said. “It gets me teary-eyed seeing the flags set up and even talking about it. It means a lot when people stop and thank you for doing it.”
