Honoring the nation’s heroes

Lynbrook resident Joe LaRocco spent three years fighting overseas in World War II.

LaRocco is now 92, but his war memories are still fresh. He remembers those who fought alongside him. “This day reminds me of my buddies when I was there,” he said. “I’m thinking about them.”

Dozens of residents and visitors revisited memories of their own, joining in a parade and ceremony honoring those who died in the nation’s wars. It was a Memorial Day filled with smiles, tears and heartfelt “thank-yous” for America’s servicemen and women. Despite the morning rainstorm, the sun eventually shone. People spoke about what this day meant to them.

Shouts of praise erupted during the early parade, which made its way from McDonalds on Merrick Road, west to Forest Avenue, south on Forest to Stauderman Avenue, west on Stauderman to Atlantic Avenue, and north on Atlantic through the village back to Merrick Road. Afterward, the crowd gathered at the village’s Dough Boy monument, behind the LIRR station. Mayor Bill Hendrick, fresh out of the hospital after a brief illness, gave the welcoming address, and recalled how his father told him about war heroes. “Now that he’s gone, I’m glad we have monuments like this,” Hendrick said. “Those who served our nation should be thanked for their time.”

The assembled dignitaries included Deputy Mayor Alan Beach, former Mayors Eugene Scarpato and William Geier, the village’s trustees, Fire Chief Michael Hynes and Ex-Fire Department Captain Steve Grogan. The music drifting from the bagpipes of the Glor na nGael pipes and drums band was melancholy but rich. It was clear that emotions spoke louder than words.

When Beach and Hendrick brought a special wreath to the center Wall of Honor, some in the crowd shed tears. Lynbrook Boy Scout Troop 336, along with several of the community’s veterans, presented the wreaths. Flowers were laid at the site and soldiers gave a heartfelt salute.

“This day is about the remembrance of those who didn’t come back,” said Henry Speicher of American Legion Post 335, who was just a boy during World War II. He lost two of his Sunday School teachers from his Bronx church to the war, he recalled.

And 100-year-old resident Abraham Shenkman, who fought in the war, said simply, “It was a horror.”

Shenkman took part in 10 invasions, and was a gunner. He spent four years in the Navy. Sitting through the funerals of the 10 men he knew who died in the war was a memorable experience, he said, and so was this Memorial Day. “It’s absolutely fantastic to see this,” he said of the ceremony. “I remember all the men that were killed.”

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