Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The Rockville Centre American Legion Post 303 selected retired U.S. Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel and former NYPD Police Sergeant Wilem Wong to serve as the Grand Marshal for this year’s Memorial Day Parade.
Wong, a Rockville Centre resident, brings with him a distinguished record of service to the nation and to his community. Born and raised in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown, Little Italy and Lower East Side, Wong’s career spans more than three decades in both military and law enforcement service.
He retired from the United States Army Reserve in 2023 at the rank of lieutenant colonel, completing more than 34 years of service under seven U.S. Presidents. Wong began his military career as an enlisted soldier in 1988 at 18 years old, later earning his commission in 2000. Over the course of his career, he served in roles ranging from combat medic and licensed practical nurse to health services planning and operations officer.
Wong is a veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In Iraq, he served with U.S. Army Civil Affairs attached to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Camp Victory and in Baghdad’s Green Zone. In Afghanistan, he led Human Terrain Team AF07 alongside U.S. Marine Corps Regimental Combat Teams 1 and 5 at Camp Dwyer in Helmand Province. Before retiring in 2023, he was appointed battalion commander of a Combat Stress Control Team near Los Angeles.
His numerous military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Combat Action Badge and the Basic Parachutist Badge.
“I learned a lot about leadership and teamwork that has informed a lot of my life experience, and it gave me a lot of valuable lessons in being in a leadership position,” he said, “and working in a team environment.”
In his civilian career, Wong also retired from the New York City Police Department in 2021 as a Police Sergeant Special Assignment. With over 21 years of law enforcement service in New York and San Francisco, he served in high-level roles within the NYPD, including the Police Commissioner’s Project Management Office, Office of the Chief of Strategic Initiatives, the Police Academy and the Health and Wellness Section. He received three NYPD unit citations for excellence in his assignments.
Wong holds a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
He currently serves as the appointed State Director for New York City for the Selective Service System. He is also the Vice Commander of American Legion Post 1291 in Manhattan and the First Vice President of the Statue of Liberty Chapter of the Association of the United States Army.
The most impactful part of his service, he said, was serving in Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2011, “looking at how other people live in all the countries and realizing how we are blessed to be Americans.”
Wong has also completed multiple major marathons, including the Honolulu, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles Marathons, after returning from military deployments.
Wong highlighted Memorial Day as a holiday meant to “remember the people, the service members, male and females, who have died in service of the United States,” including people missing in action.
This year’s Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m., which will kick off in parking field No. 2, between North Centre and North Village Avenues, and proceed down Quealy Place past St. Agnes Cathedral, and then turning onto Maple Avenue, to the John A. Anderson Recreation Center on Oceanside Road.
A service will follow the parade at around 11 a.m. in Veterans Park to honor the local men and women who fought and died for their country.
