Thursday, October 1, 2026
At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, a special ceremony to honor all of Lynbrook’s past and present veterans took place at the Doughboy Monument at Saperstein Plaza. It was a sunny, yet very windy Veterans Day, but it didn’t stop residents, members of the village board and local heroes from attending the event.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2307 and the American Legion Post 335 presented the colors. VFW Post Commander Pat Nealon read an excerpt from his organization’s mission statement, which he said embodied veterans and active duty personnel.
Among the responsibilities for veterans that Nealon read off were strengthening comradeship among members, perpetuating the memory and history of the dead and assisting their widows and orphans, fostering true patriotism and maintaining American freedom while preserving and defending the United States from all enemies.
“Our veterans have done all of that,” Nealon said, “and continue to do all of that today. It’s the veterans that have preserved our freedom and give us our freedoms everyday. I’d like you to enjoy our freedoms. God bless our troops and God bless America.”
Nealon went on to thank the residents, the Lynbrook Police Department, the village and Mayor Bill Hendrick, who also spoke at the ceremony, for their support.
“Remember to honor these men and women, not just today, but everyday,” Hendrick said. “In the streets, in the movies, in the hall, at the store [and] at a party, if you see them, especially in uniform, walk up to them and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’”
At the end of the ceremony, there was a rifle salute by the firing detail of the Marine Corps League in memory of the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and didn’t make it home.
“So many times, when the veterans needed support, the village and our residents were there for us,” said former VFW Post Commander Pat Cardone, who served as the emcee. “That’s why our doors will always be open so we can help out our community.”
East Rockaway
Dozens of local veterans, residents and officials gathered at Veterans Memorial Plaza at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Main Street in East Rockaway last Friday to honor the heroes who keep our country free.
Steve Owen, a Vietnam veteran and the commander of the East Rockaway VFW, said that what happened to the Vietnam veterans when they came home would “never happen again. So, to all the soldiers coming home today — welcome home Vietnam vets, and welcome home all veterans. We salute you!’
Former American Legion Commander Shelly Conn said, “Our freedom sometimes goes unnoticed by those of us who enjoy the security of living in this nation … and the amount of homeless veterans on Long Island is unacceptable!”
