County honors local veterans

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano hosted a Salute to Veterans in Eisenhower Park on Aug. 1. Local Vietnam veterans were honored in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the beginning and the 40th anniversary of the end of the war. Before the gathering was entertained by Tony Orlando and the USO Liberty Bells, Mangano and other elected officials honored four of those veterans with the county’s Distinguished Service to Veterans Medal.

“We salute your sense of honor, we salute your courage and we salute your love of country,” Mangano said. “Here in Nassau County, we are proud of our Veterans Service Agency, which is always there for you, the men and women who served our nation. From our new Nassau County Veterans Service Agency and V.A. Clinic at Nassau University Medical Center, to homes for homeless veterans at Mitchel Field and our annual Veterans Picnic, planned this year for Sept. 18 here at Eisenhower Park, we are committed to serving those whose sacrifices keep us all safe.”

The honorees were:

 Salvatore Martella. Martella, of Elmont, is a role model in the veteran community who was an Army sergeant in Vietnam. Over the past 10 years, he has raised funds and collected food and clothing for homeless veterans, and volunteered to help veterans with disabilities and at the county’s Veteran Stand Downs, which assist homeless veterans. In addition, he continues to meet returning veterans at local airports and provides them with motorcycle escorts to their homes. Martella, who is known as Sal, also provides peer support when he visits the local V.A. hospital.