Nassau County veterans, families and community members gathered in Eisenhower Park on Nov. 10 to honor those who served on Veterans Day, paying tribute to local heroes whose courage and sacrifice have protected the United States’ freedoms and values.
In a poignant ceremony led by the United Veterans Organization at the county’s veterans memorial in the park, speakers focused on respect, courage and resilience — and of course, the importance of Veterans Day and veteran service agencies.
“On Veterans Day, we veterans remember our service — we think about friends that we made, and some of the friends that we’ve lost,” Morris Miller, who’s on the UVO’s board of directors, said during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “We served with distinction. We served with honor. And even though many of us are older, greyer, out of shape — we would not hesitate at a moment’s notice to serve our country, if asked.”
Following his convocation, Spinner offered remarks for those who are prisoners of war and those who are still listed as missing in action.
“As you entered these grounds today, you may have noticed this small table in place,” Spinner said, referencing a display in front of the lectern. “This table is our way of symbolizing the fact that members of our profession of arms are missing from our midst. They are commonly called POWs or MIAs — we call them brothers. They are unable to be with us at this time, and so we remember them.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, State Senator Steve Rhoads, State Assemblyman-elect Daniel Norber, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jen DeSena and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder all attended Sunday’s ceremony.
“We have enemies that hate our way of life, they hate our prosperity, they hate our spirit, they hate our love of country,” Blakeman said. “So today, we’re here to remember. May God bless our veterans, may God bless our active military, and may God bless America.”
Ryder said both veterans and police offers have a bond over the word “service.”
“And what does it mean — unconditional service,” he said. “You didn’t ask for anything when you signed up to serve your country. You just went out to do it, and do it because you honored the flag, the constitution, the way of life here in the United States — that freedom we all get to enjoy.”
Among all of the speakers, perhaps no one is more involved directly with veteran affairs than Ralph Esposito, director of Nassau County’s Veterans Service Agency. There’s an office in East Meadow, right behind the main tower of the Nassau University Medical Center, which offers support, health care, food and other resources to veterans.
“I feed 1,650 people a month that are veterans,” Esposito said of the office he runs. “That should not be. Veterans should not be hungry. Our veterans shouldn’t have to sleep in the park. There’s a lot more to be done, and as long as I’m living, I want to fight to get it done. I promise you that.”
The United Veterans Organization held a Veterans Day ceremony at the Long Island National Cemetery in East Farmingdale on Sunday as well.
For more on veteran affairs and resources offered in Nassau County, visit NassauCountyNY.gov or call (516) 572-6565.a
