Colón named commander of Legion district

Frank Colón Jr. is no stranger to service and duty. As the acting commander of American Legion Post No. 303 in Rockville Centre for more than eight years, he has dedicated a great deal of his spare time to working with local veterans and their families.

Colón, 70, was appointed commander of the New York American Legion’s 10th district during the organization’s annual convention in upstate Saratoga this summer, and he now oversees more than 15,000 members across Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens.

“It’s gratifying,” Colón said of his appointment. “It’s a big area. All of the guys in all of the counties know me. We all get along. Most of the guys are past county commanders, and we’re all coming up through the ranks. They’re a good group of people. They’re all working hard and serving their community.” 

Colón grew up in North Bellmore and was inspired to join the Legion at the suggestion of his father, Frank Sr., who served in the Navy during World War II aboard the destroyer the USS Wainwright.

Frank Jr. enlisted in the Army in 1972 and was stationed in Hanau, Germany, amid communist control of East Germany. He was then stationed in Vicenza, Italy, high in the Alps. After spending two and a half years in Europe, he returned to Fort Hamilton, in Brooklyn, where he served for over three years with the Military Police.

In 1979, Colón shipped out to South Korea, where he served under Commanding General John Wickham.

When he returned to Long Island, he spent three years as an ROTC instructor at Hofstra University, after which he was stationed at Fort Meade, in Maryland, where he worked as a recruiter for several years. He spent his final two years in the service in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before retiring in 1994, as a sergeant first class.

Frank and his wife, Mary, were married in 1997 and settled in Rockville Centre.

Throughout his time in the service, Colón never saw combat, but he recalls moments when he witnessed what Communism was all about. “My buddy was an MP in the Berlin brigade, and we went to go visit him,” he said, recounting an incident that occurred in 1972. “We got there a little early. He pulls up, and all of a sudden we hear an AK-47 going off by the (Berlin Wall). We took off in the jeeps . . . and there were three guys in the barbed wire. It was the same thing going on between North and South Korea. They’re trying to infiltrate. They’re digging tunnels. There were families running to try and come across, getting shot in the back.”

During his time in the service, he earned numerous awards, including a Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, a Good Conduct Medal and the Army Recruiting Ring, the highest award given to a member of the recruiting command.

Colón looks back at his military career fondly and said he still keeps in touch with some of the guys he served with when he was stationed in Europe.

Over the years, he has been an active member of several veterans organizations, including North Bellmore American Legion Post No. 1749, the Nassau County United Veterans Organization, the Vietnam War Veterans Association of Nassau County, and Robert F. Garrison Veterans of Foreign War Post No. 3350 in East Rockaway. Mary Colón is a member of the Malverne American Legion Post No. 44 Ladies Auxiliary.

Frank works as an overnight security guard for the Oceanside School District. He is also a member of the Rockville Centre Fire Department, with Engine Company No. 4, and is an ex-captain of the Rockville Centre Fire Police.

“One thing that I’m very proud of is that here in Rockville Centre we had 38 guys from the Fire Department go to Vietnam, and 38 guys came back,” he said. “That’s something. And right now in Rockville Centre, we have six people on active duty.”

Colón served as commander of the Nassau County American Legion in 2010, which he said helped put him in the rotation for his new position as district commander. In 2018 he was inducted into the New York Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame, recognized for his continued service to the men and women of the military over the years, by then-State Sen. Todd Kaminsky.

Through the Legion, he has helped organize programs and events including the American Legion Boys’ State and Girls’ State summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school juniors. “It doesn’t cost the student anything,” Colón explained. “We pay for them. It’s a great program. It teaches them all about civics, voting, and the whole nine yards.”

He is also part of a team that helps teach elementary-school kids flag etiquette. Since 1996 the Legionnaires have visited schools across Nassau County, teaching kids how to properly fold and store the flag.

The American Legion is the largest of the nation’s wartime veterans organizations and focuses on supporting local veterans, their families, and the community through volunteer work, youth programs, auxiliary organizations, and participation in military memorial events.

“We would just like to let everybody know we’re here for the veterans and their families,” Colón said. “We want to make sure they all get squared away. We’re very family-oriented at the post, and we want to make sure we take care of everybody.”

Post No. 303 will honor local veterans, Gold Star families, and first responders at the annual Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, at 10:30 a.m., outside the John A. Anderson Recreation Center, at 111 N. Oceanside Road.