Thursday, October 1, 2026
Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st AD) recently recognized and honored 16 local veterans at his annual Veterans’ Hall of Honor event at the St. Mary’s/Maris Stella Council No. 2228 Knights of Columbus in Lynbrook.
Among the honorees were Paul P. Pette and Angelo LoMonaco, of Lynbrook, and Alfred Adler and John A. Santino of East Rockaway.
Family members and friends of the honorees were invited to celebrate in the recognition. Thanking the veterans for their service and patriotism to their country and community, Curran presented each honoree with an official New York State Assembly Proclamation.
“This is always a special event that gives our community the opportunity to celebrate and honor the brave men and women, like Paul, Angelo, Alfred and John, who sacrificed so much to ensure our freedoms and our way of life,” said Curran. “We owe everything that we enjoy today to those who are called to serve their country and each of our veterans deserves our gratitude and respect. This recognition is but a small token of appreciation for everything that they have achieved for this great nation and its citizens.”
The honorees
Paul P. Pette was drafted into the United States Army Air Force and went to basic training at Miami Beach, Florida. From there, he was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado for armament training. Later that year, Pette went to Gunnery School in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Aug. 6, 1945, a routine bombing run was executed on the main island of Japan with what was assumed as routine ordinance cargo. Due to the secrecy of the operation, all the units involved in the operation were not suspecting anything out of the ordinary, as each unit had their own specific orders to carry out (logistical support, etc.). Unbeknownst to the entire 509th Bombing Group operations team was that one of the planes was actually flying with the first atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
