Oceanside vets 'adopt' East Meadow marine

Sergeant Chrissy DeCaprio is less than a quarter of the age of most of the members of the Jewish War Veterans Chwatsky-Farber Post 717 in Oceanside. But at just 24, she's already served two tours of duty in Iraq as a U.S. Marine. She was also the first female marine from New York to receive a combat action ribbon for her service.

In January, the Oceanside Jewish War Veterans were honored to have her speak at their monthly breakfast meeting at the Friedberg JCC. Senior Vice Commander Buddy Epstein said the group was so happy to have her as a guest that they've now “adopted” her as one of their own. Epstein met DeCaprio at a luncheon in Long Beach, and admits that at first, he thought the young girl in uniform was in the ROTC. When he found out she was a marine, DeCaprio said they traded war stories, and Epstein invited her to the JCC to talk about her experience.

DeCaprio was born in Brooklyn, but spent much of her early life in Argentina. Her family returned to New York when she was ten to seek medical treatment for her mother, who had cancer. Sadly, DeCaprio's mother passed away when she was thirteen, and she was placed in the state's foster care system. She said she bounced around for awhile, and, looking for some structure and stability in her life, made the decision to join the marines when she was just seventeen and still a student at East Meadow High School.

DeCaprio said she had no expectations heading into boot camp. She spent three months at Parris Island in South Carolina, undergoing intense physical training. She also said she made life-long friends, and learned about discipline and camaraderie. “I went from being an angry little kid to a patient, mature young woman,” she explained.

After boot camp, DeCaprio went to marine combat training, and was then assigned to her job school, in Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, where she would receive training to become a military police officer. After school, DeCaprio spent four and a half years at her military base, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.