Wednesday, January 15, 2025
The Freeport Armory was a hive of activity on Tuesday, as hundreds of veterans stopped by the annual Veterans Stand Down.
Hosted by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Ralph Esposito, director of the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency, the event offered veterans in need essential items and services.
This year’s Stand Down, which drew roughly 600 former members of the nation’s armed services, demonstrated the power of community partnerships and dedication to those who have served. Since 1998, the semi-annual event has been a vital resource for Nassau County’s community of veterans.
The drive-through event offered an array of resources, including brand new clothing, winter boots, food, toiletries and housing assistance. Esposito emphasized the high quality of the handouts.
“Everything is brand new,” he said. “Underwear, socks, jackets, shoes — I should say boots — and then food and cosmetics. Everything top-shelf. I don’t go with crap. We get it donated. We go shake people down,” he added wryly.
Long Island Cares and Island Harvest contributed food, including turkeys and hams, ensuring that the veterans would have a proper Thanksgiving meal. General Needs, another key partner, provided winter boots and heavy jackets, while schools like Gotham Avenue and Covert Avenue, in Elmont, donated cases of food.
The event also received support from Reworld, a leader in sustainable waste solutions, which donated essential items like underwear and socks.
“Our veterans deserve to be supported in every way possible, and participating in this event allows us to give back to those who have given so much to our country,” Maureen Early, lead community relations specialist at Reworld, stated in a news release. “Providing these essential items is just one way we can show our appreciation and contribute to the well-being of our local veteran community.”
Morris Miller, a Vietnam veteran and a longtime volunteer, reflected on his decades of involvement in the Stand Down.
“I’ve been involved in the Stand Down since the very first one, about 25 to 26 years ago,” Miller said. “People come in one way, they open up their trunks, and they leave another way with a full trunk.”
“I can’t describe what you see,” he added.
“What veterans do for other veterans and what organizations do for veterans … you’d be amazed, totally amazed.”
The event’s scale and impact are a testament to the dedication of its volunteers. More than 100 people, many of them high school students, gathered at the armory on Monday to pack and distribute bags filled with essential.
“The cars line up all the way to the Freeport train station,” Esposito said. “That’s how long the line is, from Babylon Turnpike to the Freeport station.”
Esposito, a veteran himself, is deeply committed to helping his fellow servicemen and women. “I should do this because, you know what? It’s a good purpose,” he said. “You’re helping somebody, making them go home happy as hell now.”
“I’d like to thank the Nassau County Veterans (Service Agency) for organizing another Stand Down here in Freeport for myself and all my fellow veterans,” Mayor Robert Kennedy wrote to the Herald over text message. “This is such a great event, which provides clothing, shoes, and needed toiletries to our United States military veterans. Thank you for remembering our veterans.”
Twice a year, the Stand Down continues to showcase the power of community collaboration. As Esposito said, “You’ve gotta fight for people. You don’t just sit back.”
To learn more about the Nassau County
Veterans Service Agency and its programs, call (516) 572-6565.
