Village awards Grogan with State Senate Veteran Award

Steve Grogan, PIO and publicity chairman for the American Legion Post 335, received the State Senate Veteran Award on Monday.

Grogan is a Vietnam-era veteran, who served on active duty for five years as a special agent with US Army Intelligence. He is now an active member of Lynbrook American Legion Post 335. Grogan designed a new membership drive for the post, which has been shared with other Nassau County posts.

In 2020, Grogan was elected into the New York State Assembly’s Veterans Hall of Honor. In 2021, he was named Nassau County’s American Legionnaire of the Year. In 2022, he was named Long Island’s Legionnaire of the Year for Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties.

Now, in 2024, he was named New York State Senate Veteran of the Year.

Grogan is also vice-chairman of Nassau County Firefighters Operation Wounded Warrior which, for 20 years, has worked to improve the lives of our wounded servicemen and women.

Grogan also represents Nassau veteran firefighters on the Nassau County Veterans Advisory Committee. He conceived the idea and had Nassau County purchase and issue a “Veteran” pin to be worn on every firefighter uniform who is a veteran. This idea spread to Suffolk County and some upstate counties.

Grogan also campaigned to have the State of New York put the word “Veteran” on the driver’s licenses of veterans. The bill was sponsored by then State Senator Dean Skelos and Assemblyman Brian Curran.

Grogan also championed the erecting of a Vietnam Memorial stone at the Village of Lynbrook’s Doughboy Monument.

Besides his veteran activities, Grogan is a 56-year member of the Lynbrook Fire Department and an ex-captain and honorary chief. He co-founded the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department and the Nassau County Firefighters Emerald Society and their pipe band. He is the Lynbrook Fire Department’s, and the Fourth Battalion’s, Public Information Officer and a regular contributing writer to the Volunteer Firefighters Magazine.

Grogan is a former elected Lynbrook Village Trustee and chaired the Village Police Committee for the Village Officials Association while Malverne Mayor Joe Canzoneri was head of the association.

Grogan was also a federal agent in the US Justice Department and retired after a 35-year career investigating federal crimes, corruption, and internal affairs.