Make new friends, keep the old — one wears silver & the other gold

In honor of Veterans Day last week, local servicemen from every division of the United States Armed Forces, ranging from ages 20 to 90, gathered at the American Legion Post 44 in Malverne to honor both new and seasoned brethren as part of the second annual Wounded Warrior Project benefit on Nov. 9.

While Malverne Mayor Patti McDonald emceed the event that night, Veterans and their guests enjoyed live entertainment, courtesy of a pipe band and a DJ, refreshments, and a round of raffle prizes while sharing their tales of glory in the service.

“The interaction between members of the Legion and the new veterans was awesome,” said the organizer of the benefit, Tim Sullivan, 35. “It was so much fun hearing stories from World War II to the latest Gulf conflict.”

As a volunteer for the Wounded Warrior Project — an organization that raises awareness about the needs of injured war veterans and enlists the help of civilians in providing proper services and programs — Sullivan chose to organize this benefit two years ago after learning about his brother-in-law, Marine Sargeant Sean Ledwith, 33, who postponed his college career to serve in Kosovo and Iraq.

Ledwith later earned his degree when he returned to the homefront, Sullivan said, and landed a career at a payroll and benefits organization in Manhattan, all while raising a family in Malverne.

After hearing Ledwith’s story, Sullivan mounted a grassroots effort to help younger veterans become more involved with the American Legion and restore the meaning of its brotherhood by connecting several generations of servicemen.

“I came to recognize that there’s a great deal of young veterans in our immediate community that you don’t typically see in the parades, they’re not involved in the American Legion or VFW’s,” Sullivan said, adding, “yet there’s a whole group of them out there that put their educations on hold, foregoing their professional careers for a while and enlisting — it’s something that we don’t recognize enough.”

While this year’s benefit welcomed many veterans to support a good cause, Sullivan has already started looking to the future, hoping to spread the word about his mission for years to come.

“I hope the event will grow into something bigger, something that people will look forward to year after year,” Sullivan said. “The real thing to look forward to is getting to know your neighbors better, knowing that the guy next door who’s mowing his lawn and bringing his kids to school served in Kosovo and Iraq, putting off his education for us.”