This year’s Veterans Day in Long Beach offered thanks to those it honored for their military service in a way that was much more than symbolic: Gerald Haber, commander of the American Legion Victor Murtha Post 972, noted the approval of a new housing complex for homeless veterans in nearby Island Park.
“I have a wonderful update,” Haber said of the project, which was approved by the Town of Hempstead’s Board of Appeals in August.
What will become the Tunnel To Towers Village will replace the long-vacant, problem-plagued Long Beach Motor Inn in Island Park. The complex is expected to have over 50 units with private amenities. Veterans will also be offered job training, transportation and a comprehensive support system. Tunnel to Towers is a nonprofit that is dedicated to supporting military veterans and first responders.
Haber’s announcement kicked off the Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony at Long Beach City Hall on Tuesday, sponsored by the Joint Veterans Organization in cooperation with the city to recognize and honor all military veterans. Post 972 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Lt. John F. O’Grady Post 1384 comprise the joint group.
Originally known as Armistice Day, the remembrance became a federal holiday in 1938, honoring World War I veterans in a celebration of peace. An act of Congress created Veterans Day in 1954, as a tribute to military veterans past and present.
Nassau County Legislator Patrick Mullaney, who joined the Marine Corps at age 17, thanked veterans for their service, calling them “the people who keep the city and country running.” He shared a powerful story about the impact of his enlistment on his family.
“Whether you’re a parent, sibling or spouse, I believe that you, too, wear the uniform,” he said of a family’s sacrifice. “It may not be the physical uniform, but it’s the sacrifice that you give that gives the actual veteran who is fighting that support that they need to last.”
Mullaney noted that the deed for the Long Beach Motor Inn property deed had just been signed over to Tunnel for Towers, and the motel could now be demolished.
City Council President Brendan Finn, whose father served in the military and was a member of the VFW, shared stories of two veterans, Maj. Thomas Kennedy and Capt. Roger Donnelly. He highlighted their bravery and leadership, and the sacrifices they made. A roadside bomb in Afghanistan killed Kennedy in 2012. Donnelly served in Vietnam, and is still living.
“It’s important that we know these people’s names, we know what they did,” Finn said, “because they are the humble servants of America, and they deserve everything we can give them.”
Councilman John Bendo, who is also a veteran, spoke about the history of Veterans Day and what it means to be a veteran.
Bendo noted that the armistice ending World War I was signed at 5 a.m., but didn’t take effect until 11 a.m. In that six-hour period, there were over 1,000 more casualties, including Henry Gunther, an American who was killed a minute before the hostilities ended.
Bendo highlighted the 18 million living veterans in the United States, as well as the 6 percent of adults in the country who have served in the military, calling them an “elite club.”
“Veterans come from every walk of life,” Bendo said. “We represent every faith, every background and every corner of America. When we put on that uniform, we become one team, united by a shared mission and belief in this nation.”
Dan MacPhee, the commander of Post 1384, spoke about a Marine he met who had lost both his legs in Afghanistan, saying the encounter gave him a new “insurgence of respect” for veterans.
The commemoration began with an inter-generational presentation of colors by the Joint Veterans Organization, who were joined by Island Beach Girl Scouts, Long Beach Scouts and Long Beach Cub Scouts.
Rabbi Benny Berlin, of the BACH Jewish Center of Long Beach, gave the invocation, and Bishop Mark Moses, of the New Life Church of Christ gave the benediction. Peggy Costigan, president of the American Legion Auxiliary, sang the national anthem and “God Bless America.”
Both posts have a long history of service. Post 972 celebrated its centennial last year, and Post 1384 is set to pass the mark this year.
“On behalf of all who have served,” Bendo said, “I want to say thank you to our families who sacrificed alongside us, to our communities that continue to support us, and to every person who believes in what this nation stands for.”
