Honoring veterans

They all paid tribute, from elderly veterans to young children.

About 80 people attended Rockville Centre’s Veterans Day ceremony at the Recreation Center. Attendees included boy scouts, girl scouts, the Rockville Centre Fire Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department, Mayor Francis X. Murray and his wife Barbara, Deputy Mayor Nancy Howard, Trustee Ed Oppenheimer, Former Mayor Eugene Murray and Former Nassau County American Legion Commander Frank Colon.

“We are here today to remember the many sacrifices made for us,” said Joe Scarrola, Commander of American Legion Post 303. “May this ceremony today be a worthy acknowledgement of those who have sacrificed for us.”

The Mayor thanked people for coming to remember veterans, and said that while we call athletes, entertainers and musicians “heroes,” veterans are the true heroes. “We’re here to honor our true heroes,” Murray said. “The men and women who fight and who have fought for our freedom. We’re here to honor their achievements and to say thanks for their service.”

He also invited current and former service members in the room to stand up – about 20 did. “Thank you all for answering the call of duty,” he said before leading a round of applause for the veterans. He also asked their families to stand to recognize the difficult times they had been though as well.

Scarrola then spoke about the freedoms people around the world owe to the service of veterans. “All veterans have scarified something,” he said. “All of us are here with our families and friends today, those serving overseas go months without seeing their families… And remember, some veterans return home badly injured. For those that have died in service to their country, we honor them with monuments and special holidays so that we never forget.”

Scarrola also spoke about how Veterans Day’s originated from Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 p.m. He then rang a bell 11 times, and gave additional thanks to police officers and fire fighters for keeping people safe.

“After the Vietnam War... some people did not treat veterans very well when they came home,” he said. “And I’m glad things have changed a lot since the last 40 years. But there are people now in uniform who are not being treated very well, who really deserve our respect and gratitude. And I’m talking about our police. And we really cannot thank them enough for what they do.”

Scarrola then offered a benediction, and the ceremony ended with the singing of “God Bless America,” led by the front row of the audience. Scarrola invited the crowd back to the American Legion post, on Maple Avenue, for refreshments.