I.P. Civic hosts ‘Love Your Troops’ event

Veterans honored at annual dinner dance

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The Island Park Civic Association hosted the Love Your Troops Valentine’s Dinner Dance at Bridgeview Yacht Club last Saturday, which honored three hometown heroes who have served in the military.

Navy veterans Maurice Mayes and Frank Nicholas, and Army veteran Steven Richardson — all of Island Park — were this year’s honorees. In previous years, the event benefitted Soldiers’ Angels, an organization that provides aid and comfort to servicemen and women.

But this year, proceeds are set to go to the Long Beach Waterfront Warriors, a group that helps offer a much-needed vacation to wounded soldiers, many of whom are undergoing treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., as well as their families. The retreat to Long Beach gives the servicemen and women a chance to enjoy outings along the city’s shores, and in Manhattan.

Evan Davis, one of the group’s board members, said the dinner dance is not only a great night for the honorees, but also for their families and friends. A lot of the same residents come out every year to have a good time, he added, as well as to celebrate and thank the veterans.

“I think that they were taken aback by all the attention and that people were making a big deal,” Davis said. “They weren’t the type of men who ever looked for that.”