WWII veteran to lead Valley Stream parade

Lou Palermo didn’t serve in the United States Army for the recognition or the medals. He did it because his country called upon him.

Nearly 70 years after fighting in World War II, Palermo’s contributions to his country have not been forgotten. He has been chosen to lead this year’s Memorial Day Parade in Valley Stream, which steps off Monday at 9:30 a.m.

“My reaction was I was very surprised,” he said of being asked. “It’s really an honor to be the grand marshal of a parade.”

Palermo, 86, served in the Army for three years. Drafted in 1943 when he was 18 years old, he was sent to Camp Gordon in Georgia for basic training and then to Europe during the height of the war. He was part of the Normandy invasion, known as D-Day.

After landing on the shores of France, Palermo and his fellow troops crossed the country into Germany, which took about a week. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded by shrapnel. “It just hit me in the back and knocked me down,” he said. “It didn’t go through me. I was very lucky.”

Palermo, a member of the 99th Division, was awarded the Purple Heart, as well as the Bronze Star. After his service in Europe was done in 1945, he went back to the United States. That trip home wasn’t supposed to be for long, as Palermo went to Camp Swift in Texas to prepare for the next mission: Japan. Then, President Harry Truman ordered that atomic bombs be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the war was over; Palermo and his fellow soldiers were spared further combat.

When his service ended, he was just glad to be alive. “I didn’t come home with a leg missing or an arm missing like some of the guys I know,” he said.

Immediately after returning home, Palermo joined his local VFW Post in Brooklyn. He has devoted much of the past 65 years to veterans organizations. Upon moving to Valley Stream 30 years ago, he became a member of VFW Post 1790 and was the commander from 1986-88.

Palermo is the current commander of the American Legion post in Franklin Square, a past commander of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 145 and a member of the Catholic War Veterans Valley Stream Post 1955.

He frequently visits the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, but he admits that he gets very emotional when he sees wounded veterans, or those suffering from severe mental trauma. “I just feel like crying sometimes,” he said.

The VFW post often runs food, clothing and Christmas present drives for the V.A. hospital. Palermo, frequently involved with those drives, said that he has an obligation to help veterans who were less fortunate than he was.

He is retired from the U.S. Postal Service where he was a clerk and later a manager. Palermo and his wife, Norma, have two children and four grandchildren. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce and past grand knight for the Knights of Columbus.

On Memorial Day

Palermo said he has marched in the annual Memorial Day parade for at least the past decade. This year, as grand marshal, he gets to ride in a convertible.

Over the years, Palermo said he has seen crowds dwindle at Memorial Day parades. The holiday has become more about shopping and socialization than remembering the veterans, he explained. “It’s not a day of barbecues,” he said. “It’s a day of mourning.”

Palermo said that every American should take an hour of their day on Memorial Day to say some prayers and reflect on the contributions of veterans, specifically the ones who died in combat. “I am not a hero,” Palermo said. “The heroes are the ones that sacrificed their lives.”

He said he does enjoy the community participation in the parades, including the youth groups, Fire Department and elected officials. However, he said, the focus of the day should be on the veterans.

World War II veterans, now in their 80s, are dying by the thousands every year. Palermo said with that in mind, he was honored that the VFW, which is lead organization for this year’s parade, made it a point to choose a World War II veteran as the grand marshal.