by Mike Schnitzel
The Lynbrook Veterans of Foreign Wars Howard-Lathrop Post has been deeply committed to the memory of fallen soldiers and veterans since its inception in mid-January 1932. In a furtherance of that commitment, they have agreed to donate an American flag and flag pole that will grace the planned Lynbrook Sept. 11 Memorial Gardens, scheduled to open on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11.
"We had talked to Laura Ryder (who chaired the village's Sept. 11 memorial committee) to ask her what was going on with the project," said Pat Cardone, the 37-year-old Gulf War veteran who has been the commander of the Howard-Lathrop Post for the past two years. "When we heard the proposal, we felt that we should [donate the flag and flag pole]."
According to Cardone, the VFW expects the flag pole to be ready for installation by the middle of summer so that it will be ready for the opening of the memorial on Sept. 11 this year, marking the fifth anniversary of that tragic day.
Cardone said that the VFW was making an effort to help the memorial gardens with any projects that might be too expensive for a family to donate. Long-time VFW member Jim Dillon, who served in the Marine Corps during World War II, said that the memorial gardens was a worthy project that the VFW felt it had to get involved with.
"What Laura Ryder is trying to do is make sure that no one ever forgets that day," said Dillon. "As a veterans organization, we have seen too many days that have been forgotten."
Progress of the memorial gardens
The west lawn of Village Hall was approved as the site of the Sept. 11 memorial by the Board of Trustees at a work session preceeding the Jan. 9 regular village board meeting. According to Ryder, construction on the memorial is scheduled to begin at the end of the month.
"I spoke to a DPW representative over the weekend and they plan on shifting their focus to construction of the memorial at the end of May," said Ryder. "The first step will be to install a new irrigation system, because the current one will be insufficient with all of the plants and trees and shrubs we're going to install."
There will be stones dotting the garden, each one with the name of one of the 18 victims Lynbrook lost on that day. The memorial garden will be built around the existing fountain on the west lawn, which will be replaced with a smaller updated fountain for the memorial. Visitors will enter the memorial via and arbor, with a path paved with donor bricks winding around the fountain in the shape of a tear drop. Eight benches in total will be on the grounds of the memorial so that visitors can sit and reflect within the confines of the memorial garden.
"The VFW was very generous to donate the flag and flag pole," said Ryder, who added that she was confident the project would be complete in time for its scheduled opening.
The Sept. 11 Memorial Committee, which developed the concept for the memorial, consists of Ryder, Maryann Hoesel, Susan Ledwith, and Jenny Atkinson; and those who lost family members in the attacks, Barbara Stern, Barbara Hannan, Jennifer Muller, Pat Wren, and Pat Fitzsimons.
Comments about this story? Mschnitzel@liherald.com or (516)569-4000 ext. 265.
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