The thoughts of those who served

Veterans Day, which was once called Armistice Day, is celebrated at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. At first, it marked the end of World War 1 on Nov. 11, 1918.

Twenty years later, Armistice Day became a legally mandated federal holiday. In 1954, nine years after the end of W.W. II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation that revised the Act of 1938 and made it Veterans Day.

To celebrate this Veterans Day, Phil Lynch (U.S. Navy 1956 to ’59), the post adjutant of PFC. John J. Oliveri VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 1852 in Inwood collected the thoughts of several post members as their sacrifices and those who died are remembered.

Current Cedarhurst Village Mayor Andrew Parise was a sergeant with the 87th fighting division the “can do” 312 combat engineers, 1943 to ’45, and was served in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Czechoslovakia.

“Veterans Day gives me time to pause and reflect on those who I served with,” Parise said. “It’s disheartening for me to see the meaning of this solemn day, increasingly forgotten and being so commercialized as a day for shopping.”

“As we reserve Memorial Day for those who died, we should set aside this Veterans Day for thanking the over 20 million veterans living today. I am proud of my brothers and sisters serving here and abroad, especially those in harms way,” he added.

PFC. (Private First Class) Sal Scotto served in the Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, 1950 to ’53. Scotto views Veterans Day as, “A time to remember all my buddies that I spent good times and bad times with in Korea — God bless them all.”

PFC. Joe Palmese served with NATO (National Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces in Germany, 1951 to ’53. Palmese thinks that patriotism in this country has declined since 1945.

“Veterans Day is a patriotic holiday, things seemed to have changed over the years,” Palmese said. “Americans seem less and less patriotic since the end of World War Two.”

Joe Santora served as a Navy pharmacist mate-third class attached to the second and third Marine divisions in the Pacific Theatre as a medical corpsman, 1944 to ’46.

“Veterans Day should be a day of remembrance,” Santora said. “Remembering all those who gave their lives and are still giving their lives to defend us.”

Army PFC. Frank Santora, Joe’s brother, served with the First Infantry Division known as Big Red I in North Africa and Sicily. He was captured by German forces in 1943 and liberated by the Russian Army two years later. “Veterans Day seems to have been forgotten by many Americans,” Santora said.

Frank Balzano, who was an Army master sergeant with the 70th Division in Europe, 1942-’45, explained what Veterans Day means to him. “A day to remember fallen soldiers,” he said.

An Army sergeant, Hank Taranto served in W. W. II — 10th Army Air Force in China, Burma (now Myanmar) and India, 1943 to ’46 — and in Korea 1951 to ’52.

“We should all remember those veterans who proudly served their country,” he said.

Teaching military combat procedures at the non-commissioned officers academy in Germany, 1952 to ’54 was the job of Army PFC. Phil Falzone, who provided his definition of the holiday.

“Remembering those who served their country, especially those who gave their lives to defend our honoring,” Falzone said. “Also honoring our flag and what it represents.”

A radio intelligence operator, Louis DePalma was an Air Force staff sergeant stationed on Okinawa and on the Chinese Nationalist held islands of Matsu and Quemoy in the Taiwan Straights, 1958-‘64. “Honor those who gave their lives to protect our freedom,” he said. “We should all remember what patriotism used to be and should be.”

Post Commander Joe Squitieri was an Army sergeant with the 303rd Radio Research Unit in Vietnam, 1968-’71. “Remember those who gave their lives in defense of our country and take care of wounded veterans of all wars,” he said.