Island Park vets honor those who served

By Anthony Rifilato

Island Park resident and U.S. Army veteran John Marino admired the nine feet high veteran's memorial on the corner of Long Beach Road and Waterford Road last Friday, May 21, as he stood beneath the shiny new Italian granite and gleaming bronze plaques that adorn the monument.

He had good reason to be proud. The memorial, first dedicated on May 30, 1959, had been getting old. So two years ago, Marino and other members of the Island Park American Legion Post 1029 said they decided to give it a facelift.

“None of us are getting any younger, so we decided to do something about it," said Marino, who served in the Army from 1967 to 1971.

Now, with a stainless steel eagle perched atop a latticed globe, the monument has been completely overhauled, a project that was finished in February. It will be rededicated on May 29 during the Island Park Memorial Day Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. at Village Hall. For Marino and many others in the community, the veteran's monument is an important testament to those who died serving their country.

"Memorial Day is a day to remember the guys who came before us and never came home — and the guys who did come home but were all messed up," Marino said. "This is a labor of love, and hopefully a reminder to future generations that freedom isn't free."

Marino and others said that Memorial Day isn't just another day to hit the beach or to barbecue, but to remember veterans. Each year, the Island Park American Legion hosts 50 to 60 veterans from St. Alban's Naval Hospital in Queens, where they treat them to entertainment, games, gifts and food.

"Last year, we gave them jackets with the legion's logo on it," said member Joe Aniano, who served during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. "They love it, and that's what makes us keep doing it."

When it comes to the memorial on Long Beach Road, Aniano, Marino and others said it's the "unofficial" gateway to Island Park. The corner is maintained by the American Legion, they said, and they put up the funding for the refurbishment of the monument themselves.

"We're very proud that we didn't have to go to anybody, and we thought it was a good way to give back to the community," Marino said.

The parade on Saturday — which is run by the American Legion — will feature a ceremony in front of the monument, which Marino said will feature patriotic tunes, speeches by local officials and legion members, and a dedication of the new monument. During the latter part of the ceremony, Marino said a new plaque will be placed on a new granite pedestal.

"When you come into the business district, this is the first thing you see," Marino said. "There are a lot of veterans who are in bad shape, and it's important that we don't forget them."

Save the dates:

The Island Park Memorial Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 29, at the LIRR parking lot next to Village Hall. It stops mid-way at the monument on Long Beach Road for ceremonies and concludes at Village Hall.

The Oceanside Memorial Day Parade is scheduled for Monday, May 31 at 10 a.m. It begins on Foxhurst Road between Long Beach Road and Oceanside Road. A memorial ceremony will be held at Oceanside High School. Organized by the Oceanside VFW Post 5199. Grand Marshals are Bob Perdicaro, a Korean War veteran, and Bob Pickoring, a Vietnam War veteran.