Legion surprises civic assoc. with big donation

Island Park American Legion Commander Joe Aniano surprised the 200 people who attended the “Love Your Troops” dinner dance last Saturday night when he presented a check for $10,000 to the host Island Park Civic Association for the Soldiers’ Angels organization.

“These guys gave everything they had during wartime,” Aniano said. “Didn’t stop there. Came home and still giving. In the last six to seven years the American Legion post 1029, as small as it is, has done more for the veterans and people involved with the military than any large post you can think of. We have given over $600,000 to military organizations.”

Aniano turned to Evan Davis and Felicia Nicholas, of the civic association, and said, “We have a few bucks more, so I would like to present a small check for $10,000 for the Soldiers’ Angels organization.”

Soldiers’ Angels supports American troops working at veterans hospitals, writes letters to those currently serving, works with families of deployed and injured soldiers, sends treats to those overseas and provides special support for female soldiers.

Davis recalled the life of Island Park soldier Louis Chimeri, who was killed in action just two months after his 18th birthday. Davis recalled growing up in Island Park when the names of those serving in Southeast Asia were on a board outside Village Hall. He was too young to know Chimeri, but he remembered his name at the top of the board.

Chimeri was born in Freeport in 1950, moved to Island Park as a teen and lived on Hamilton Avenue, on Barnum Island, and attended Oceanside High School. Davis noted that another honoree, Thomas Kenney, was a teammate of Chimeri in Babe Ruth baseball.

Chimeri enlisted in the Marines right out of high school, Davis said, went through basic training in the Carolinas, and then went to Hawaii to be deployed. His tour of duty began in April 1968. A month later his platoon was caught in a fierce firefight in South Vietnam, where he died.