By JOSEPH KELLARD
Holding a yellow oak tag poster bearing an enlarged photo of his son, Major Omar Velasquez of both the US Air Force, Colon joined hundreds of Island Park residents in a walk to support US troops in Iraq and anywhere across the globe.
"It was a great honor to march for our troops," Colon said with tears welled in his eyes. "And it was beautiful to see all the support from the people of Island Park. It's a very tight community."
While other Island Parkers displayed posters like Colon's, which matched in color the yellow ribbons tied to the ornamental streetlights lining the boulevard, others held candles or flashlights as they walked through the heart of the village and yelled out "Support our troops." Some walkers waved American flags of various sizes, and some brandished signs that read: "Be True to the Red, White, and Blue," "God Bless Our Troops!! God Bless America!" and "Let's Light Candles for the Safe Return of all these Brave Men & Women."
At first they all assembled in the American Legion's parking lot on Nassau Ln., where DJ Anthony Delcorvo opened the ceremony with a recording of the Star-Spangled Banner that he produced with fellow Island Parker, singer Christina DeCicco. Mickey Hastava, past president of the Chamber of Commerce, read to the crowd the names of Island Park residents presently serving in the military. As members of Island Park Fire Department led and commenced the walk, Delcorvo played such tunes as "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen and "Hero" by Mariah Carey.
Among the prominent people who joined the walk were Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino, Mayor Jacqueline Papatsos, and Vice President of the library Joe Pontecorvo.
"I support our troops, I stand behind our president, and I think this is a just war," said Island Park resident Marie Palmese, who watched the walk from a bench along the boulevard on the unseasonably warm night.
As the walkers approached their destiny, the Island Park War Memorial at the intersection of Long Beach Rd. and Waterford Rd., they were met by Whitney Houston's famous rendition of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV during the Gulf War, and by an enormous American flag waving atop the erect ladder of an IPFD fire truck. Each walker gathered around the memorial, where wreaths were laid in honor of the dead who fought for America in past wars.
"The march was great for Island Park, and I had a great time," said Nancy Esposito, whose cousin, Michael Syska, 22, of Island Park, a marine stationed in Diplomat, California, is waiting to be called for service in the Middle East. Esposito said Michael's mother, Patricia Syska, stayed away from the ceremony at the memorial because it was "too emotional" for her.
"I came out and walked tonight to show my support and to tell the troops that we're all standing behind them," said Lucia Salsone, a cousin of Anthony Tavormina, 23, an active reserve of Island Park.
"It's just wonderful to see so many people in the town lend such great support," said Ellen Glynn, who has both a son and a daughter in the military, and who knows many people serving in Iraq, including her daughter's fiancs. "It's nice to know they're not abandoned like they were in Vietnam."
The walk, in part, grew out of an e-mail correspondence Glynn's son, Captain Patrick Glynn, 28, who is presently stationed in Japan, maintains with Cathy Donnelly, his bus driver while he attended Chaminade High School in Mineola. The two stayed in touch with each other when Patrick attended the Navel Academy and flight school, where he became a jet pilot for the Marine Corps.
"After e-mailing Patrick, Mrs. Donnelly had called me and asked what we could do to support the troops, and then of course it started with the war in Iraq," said Glynn, whose daughter, Warrant Officer Christine Glynn, 33, of the Marine Corps, is stationed in Massachusetts.
One morning Glynn and six other women who spearheaded the walk were sitting around a table lamenting that there had been no support-the-troops rallies in the area.
"We were a little upset with the war protesters, so we decided to hold our own march," Betty Grand said.
Originally, the women pooled their money simply to buy yellow ribbons to display in various locations throughout the community.
"At first we planned to hand them out at the train station as people got off the train," said Marian Toby. "After that it blossomed into somebody telling somebody else, and suddenly the fire department got involved and several merchants contributed."
The organizers took the necessary legal measures to stage their walk, and they strategically planned it for Wednesday, April 16, the day prior to the start of Passover/Easter recess at local schools.
"I hope that the message gets back to the young men and women, particularly from the Island Park community, who are serving overseas or in the armed forces or anywhere throughout the world," Santino said, "that the people back here...support them, love them and wish them well, admire their courage and what they've done, and can't wait to bring them back and give them a big hug and to tell them, thank you, from all of us, for a job well done."
The following is a list of Island Park residents presently serving in the US military
MS2 Lawrence Balsamo US Navy
Sgt. Geuel Bennett US Marine Corps
Seaman 2nd Class Matthew Brooks US Navy
Cpl. Erick Langelstingel US Marine Corps
Staff Sgt. Denise Eye US Air Force
Jesse Gentile US Air Force
Warrant Officer Christine Glynn US Marine Corps
Captain Patrick Glynn US Marine Corps
Cpl. Anthony Montenarello US Marine Corps
Thomas F. Parks US Marine Corps
Sgt. Raymond Persaud US Army
Staff Sgt. Kristopher Preston US Marine Corps
Matthew Ragan US Marine Corps
Michael Syska US Marine Corps
Anthony Tavormina US Army Active Reserve
Major Omar Velasquez US Air Force
