Grand marshal gives credit to team

Ken Cadieux, this year’s grand marshal for the annual Memorial Day parade, is a veteran who embodies the notion of helping those in need. He has lived a selfless life and continues to extend a helping hand to veterans.

Cadieux, 84, the commander of the American Legion district that includes Nassau, Suffolk and Queens, does not view himself as someone who stands atop a hierarchy. He sees himself more as a symbol of the work Legionnaires do. “I’m more of a representative of the working individuals that are helping others every day,” he said. “It’s a good feeling.”

A veteran of the Korean War, he is influenced by his family members to be a representative for servicemen throughout the country. His mother, father and brother were all involved in the American Legion, and Cadieux has followed their path.

Though he wasn’t influenced to help others by any one person, the death of his wife several years ago pushed him to spend more time helping his community. “That influenced me even more to get involved,” he said.

On top of his duties and responsibilities as a district commander, he stores goods for veterans in his home — in his two-car garage, in his dining room, on his sun porch.

Asked what community members can do to help, Cadieux explained that people have to first understand the issues that the newest generation of veterans are going through. “New veterans are faced with problems that exist now that older veterans did not have to face,” he said.

Today’s veterans are struggling to get jobs, he said, something that veterans have not worried much about in the past. He retired in 1995 after spending his career working for the Town of Hempstead. Helping younger veterans find promising opportunities is an area in which he believes people can lend a hand. He also believes that he could not have been a success if it weren’t for the aid of others. “I couldn’t do what I do without everyone else’s contributions,” he said.

He gives so much credit to other people who help veterans that he would rather step aside in a gathering where he might otherwise be in the spotlight. “If you see our group photos, the leader always steps back,” Cadieux said. “We’re not looking to grab any attention or notoriety.”

Living by these principles every day, he said he’ll be sure to acknowledge all the people that played a role in the American Legion as he leads this year’s parade. The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the American Legion on Grand Avenue.