Plans for the Howard Lathrop Post 2307 VFW in Lynbrook are beginning to formulate in an effort to bring the building back better than ever after a fire on Dec. 24 destroyed what members call “a second home.”
Patches, plaques and photos were all lost in the blaze — items that can never be replaced. “There was pretty much nothing salvageable in the building,” said Pat Cardone, the Lynbrook VFW commander since 2007 and member since 1995. Cardone said the fire department did save some of the their memorabilia including photos of the men who the post is named after, Frank Howard and Howard Lathrop, and the post’s charter. “That was huge for us,” Cardone, a veteran of the U.S. Marines, said.
Now, more than weeks since the fire, Cardone and the members of the Lynbrook VFW are looking to rebuild, but the process hasn’t been easy.
“It’s discouraging at times,” Cardone said. “It’s like losing your home for a lot of us. How much we’ve done for the community, our doors are always open, the countless people we’ve donated the hall to, we’ve turned away rentals to help them out.”
The VFW doesn’t just cater to veterans, Cardone said, it’s a place for the whole community. “All of us feel that we’re here to be an essential part of the community and that’s what we want to return to,” he said. “We want to do this as fast as possible, so the people that we used to rent the hall to come back. When we reopen our doors we’ll be ready to serve the veterans and community again.”
The post has been utilized by dozens of organizations, including the Buckley School of Irish Dance. Bernadette Kash has been in charge of the Buckley School for 15 years and has held practices at the VFW for the last decade. Kash said she knows a few volunteer firemen in Lynbrook, so she quickly found out about the fire. “I was shocked,” she said. Bill Schnaars is in charge of renting the VFW out to the public. Kash said that after the VFW caught fire, Schnaars didn’t hesitate to help find her another space to practice in. Currently, Kash holds practice in the East Rockaway VFW, but said she plans on returning to the Lynbrook VFW once it reopens.
