Elmont Post 1033 loses WWII veteran

The Elmont American Legion Post 1033 has lost a very special member, Alfonso “Big Al” Curiale, a U.S. Army veteran who served and was wounded in Italy not long after the Anzio invasion. He was one of the last Elmont legionnaires from The Greatest Generation.
He was also one of the three most decorated members living in Elmont, and was one of the most important figures in the Post’s history. His membership spanned more than 45 years, and none has been more loved by his ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ than Al. He was a fixture at the Post, always making sure that the Post was open from noon until 5 p.m. on weekdays, and on Saturday he would stay until 3 p.m. giving him time to get ready for 4 p.m. mass at St. Vincent de Paul R.C. Church.
In 1994, he founded the ‘Barflys’ club. This was his unofficial social group that included all who stopped in at the Post to enjoy each other’s company. Any tips that were left were collected by Al, and he would use them to make a Mothers’ Day party for all the ladies and Post members free of charge.
Any time that the Post scheduled a party, Al would sell the tickets and create the seating plan. He would arrive two hours early for every party to make sure that all arrangement were perfect. He sat at the door and collected tickets as guests arrived and greeted them all personally.
At one party when we oversold tickets, Al gave up his ticket so that another guest could eat. Al also organized and ran the annual Post picnic. He would arrive at the Post at 5:30 in the morning to help load everything so that we could arrive at the park and have the best location. This special man had a heart of gold. Anyone who needed anything simply told Al, and he would make sure they had it. He loved his Post and his fellow members. If anyone visited the Post, Al always greeted them by name regardless of how much time had elapsed since he saw them.

Despite deteriorating health and problems walking, and in need of a walker or wheelchair, he insisted on continuing to serve the Post and its members until about two years ago when he finally could not travel. His final year found him in and out of the hospital and nursing home, and his first question to any visitors was, “How’s the Post doing?”
The members of Elmont Post 1033 mourn his passing, but celebrate the comradeship of this wonderful person. Appropriately, a simple prayer was offered in his behalf: “May the Lord watch over Al and bless him in Eternity as he watched over us and his Post.”

Spinner is the 1st Vice Commander of the Elmont American Legion Post 1033