Civic group honors Marine wounded in battle

With tears in his eyes, Marine Cpl. Kevin Vaughan waved to the several hundred supporters who arrived in North Merrick to welcome him home on March 9. Driven by his father, Jim, to his driveway on Winifred Drive, Vaughan watched as his neighbors, friends and well-wishers waved American flags and brandished signs to give him a hero’s welcome during a parade that was organized by the Wenshaw Park Civic Association.

Emotion hit its peak when, upon pulling into his driveway, Vaughan left the vehicle and received a hug from his father, Jim, and his mother, Pat.

Vaughan, 22, lost his left leg to a roadside bomb while serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan on Sept. 28 of last year. After numerous surgeries and medical procedures, doctors were forced to remove his leg on Dec. 9. He then underwent physical therapy at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Vaughan attended Park Avenue Elementary School in North Merrick and Grand Avenue Middle School in Bellmore, and graduated from Mepham High School in North Bellmore in 2007. He has three siblings, Jimmy Jr., Caitlin, and his oldest brother, Thomas, who served in the Marine Corps for five years.

At the parade, the North Merrick Fire Department – with help from fire departments from across Nassau County – blocked off Jerusalem Avenue, beginning at Bellmore Avenue, and set up six towering fire truck flag arches. Hundreds of residents stood on Jerusalem, Shaw Drive and Winifred Drive, hoping to catch a glimpse of Vaughan, and the number of spectators only escalated throughout the evening.

Many had tears in their eyes, overwhelmed by the support that Vaughan was receiving, such as Barbara Devoti, whose husband, Robert, a former Marine, lost his leg while serving in Vietnam. "It's an emotional occasion and it's wonderful to see the support that Kevin is getting,” said Devoti, adding that her son is now a Marine Corps captain. “He deserves every bit of it and he deserves the support of the whole community. It's marvelous.”