Father’s Day was especially meaningful for Andrew Scortino, a 101-year-old World War 2 veteran from Malverne. The American Legion Riders, a motorcycle riding group within the Legion, led by Dawn Samuel, held a drive-by celebration, commemorating his service and celebrating his long life.
Members rode by Scortino’s house, honking and blowing whistles while saluting him. After parking down the block, they walked over and saluted him again, wishing him happy early birthday and happy Father’s Day.
“We appreciate what the Legion has done so much,” Andrea Scortino, Andrew’s daughter, said. “We have so much gratitude.”
Scortino was a corporal, earning Bronze Star and Purple Heart honors. After being heavily injured at the Moselle River combat zone, he rehabbed and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
“We wanted to do it sooner rather than later, he just got out of the hospital,” Samuel said. “It’s not his birthday quite yet, but it’s Father’s Day, so it felt appropriate to honor him today.”
The American Legion Riders’ attending members were from Elmont, Massapequa, and Oceanside chapters. Other attending groups included Rolling Thunder, a veterans’ group, Patriot Guard Riders, The American Legion Cruisers, and other Legion members from the Malverne area.
Don Dellaro, the commander of Oceanside’s American Legion chapter, gave credit to Samuel for putting the event together so quickly. “All these different chapters came today, and Dawn put this all together in around three days.”
Samuel understands the gravity of these events in the lives of the veterans they perform them for. “Our drive-by celebrations impact the lives of these vets so much, they tell us,” she said. “It’s an honor for us to do this, because unfortunately, we usually do funeral escorts, this is a much more positive event.”
Her planning process is not extensive, but it ensures that the Legion Riders members can show up in droves to be as loud and congratulatory as possible. “We find a meeting point close to their home so we can drive by easily,” she said. “If we can’t, we still find a way, for one woman, we drove by at the bus stop she always uses.”
“Over the years, we’ve built a network of contacts so we can gather people to do these events easier,” Samuel added.
She also expressed the satisfaction and joy she feels when honoring veterans for their birthdays or other special occasions. “Organizing this makes me feel amazing, it’s the greatest thing ever to be a part of this,” she said. “We have even had kids march with instruments in some of our parades.”
