Paws of War and the Fabulous 50’s and 60’s Nostalgia Car Club will host a car show on Sunday, May 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Nesconset Plaza, 127 Smithtown Blvd. Nesconset to raise money to support local veterans and first responders in the Long Island community. The car show will include vintage, classic and custom cars, live music, hot food, 50/50 raffles and more.
All proceeds from the event will support one of Paws of War’s core missions of providing injured veterans and first responders with a companion dog that will be trained to become a service dog through the organization’s service dog training classes.
This program is designed to train these animals to cater to their owner’s specific needs, which in turn will provide the veteran or first responder with peace of mind as they learn to cope with PTSD and other traumatic physical injuries. These animals bring comfort and joy to local heroes, which is proven to enhance their quality of life and save lives.
Free admission for spectators, $25 fee for car show participants. Judging begins at noon. Rain date is June 4. For more information, call 631-402-2798, 631-624-4126 or visit www.pawsofwar.org.
There is a $25 sign-up fee, with medals given to the top runners/walkers and t-shirts to all participants. Sign-up will also be available on the day of the event.
Legislator Bontempi addresses the attendees at last year’s Veteran’s Appreciation Breakfast.
Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-18th L.D.), along with her colleagues in government, Assemblymen Keith Brown (R-12th A.D.) and Steve Stern (D-10th A.D.), are gearing up for another Veterans Appreciation Breakfast in May. Last year’s breakfast was a great success, with veterans from all points of Huntington and some surrounding communities.
“We can never do enough for our veterans,” said Bontempi. “Having events like these where veterans can gather is tremendously valuable, as it stokes camaraderie while giving us a chance to show how much we appreciate them.”
This year’s installment of the annual breakfast is sure to attract an even bigger and more diverse crowd of veterans, not only because of its ever-growing notoriety, but also because of the new district lines associated with Assemblymen Brown and Stern. For instance, the 10th Assembly District now includes part of Nassau County. While the breakfast is more Huntington-centric in nature, Veterans from nearby areas are more than welcome to participate.
“Suffolk County is proud and very lucky to be home to the largest veteran population in New York State,” added Bontempi. “These veterans are a constant source of inspiration to everyone, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them at the breakfast.”
The 2023 Veterans Appreciation Breakfast is taking place on May 19th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, at the American Legion Post 360, located at 1 Mill Dam Road in Huntington. Veterans interested in attending need to pre-register with their contact information and number of guests (maximum of 2) via email at [email protected] or via phone at 631-854-4500.
Grace Mehl, far right, at the Association of the United States Navy Dining in 2019.
By Daniel Dunaief
Grace Mehl had made it onto her first navy ship, passing through a fiercely competitive process in which the U.S. Navy only had openings for two out of 60 women.
Her first boss, who was a warrant officer, made his feelings about her presence on the ship known. “I don’t believe women belong on a ship,” he told Mehl in 1980. “I don’t believe they belong in the navy. If you do your job, we’ll get along fine.”
Grace Mehl with a junior officer on the Gunston Hall. Photo from John Harrington
That conversation, however, was among the only ones Mehl, who grew up and now lives in Smithtown, had with people about whether her gender could affect her ability to serve. At the same time, members of the navy sometimes grumbled about the expanding role of women in the armed forces.
“I heard a lot of gruff from older guys talking about having women in the navy,” said Troy Wussow, an enlisted man who served aboard the USS Shenandoah with Mehl after the ship was christened in 1983. “The old salt saw it as problematic.”
Mehl often won over others with her professionalism, talent, and willingness to work.
When he met Mehl, Wussow and others were building an office that they wouldn’t complete by a deadline because supplies hadn’t arrived. When he presented the situation to Mehl, she told them to get lunch. While the others ate, Mehl redesigned the building with the supplies on hand. Wussow was grateful for her solution, which enabled him and the rest of the crew to execute their orders.
“She solved the problem for us, which was an extraordinary beginning,” Wussow said.
Indeed, Mehl also impressed her superiors, rising through the ranks to become one of the first five women to command a navy combatant ship. For 14 years of Mehl’s career, women only joined navy combat ships when they volunteered. In 1994, however, the navy started assigning women to ships the way they had men. The executive officer sent some of those frustrated female navy crew to see Mehl.
“When they walked into my state room and looked at me, they just stopped” being upset, Mehl said. They couldn’t tell Mehl how unfair it was when she had been living that life.
“After they got there, they started to learn that it wasn’t so bad and it was just another job,” she said, “although you were floating around while you were doing it.”
Commanding respect
A graduate of SUNY Binghamton, Mehl, who grew up on a chicken farm, had a desire to get a job that makes a difference and to see the world. Her sister Jane and her college roommate had also joined the military, so she already had examples of women who had gone into the service.
Her father John Albert Mehl had also been in the Army Air Corps during World War II. A tail gunner, the Mehl patriarch had been stationed in England and France and had been on 65 missions. Her sister was an Army nurse.
Despite the army family connection, Mehl entered the navy because she didn’t want her sister to have the ability to boss her around.
“The army wasn’t big enough for both of us,” Mehl said.
Wussow suggested that Mehl had an effective approach with those under her command and with superior officers. Officers either commanded or demanded respect, Wussow suggested. Mehl was in the former category, listening to problems, working with people to solve them, and following and enforcing rules.
Dave Gellene, who was her executive officer when she was the commanding officer of the Gunston Hall, appreciated her naval skills. “She was able to maneuver the ship the best I’ve seen,” he said.
Gellene, who served on active duty in the Navy for 23 years and has been a government civilian for the navy for 15 years, said Mehl maneuvered the ship expertly through all kinds of weather and in densely populated areas where other boats were nearby.
Her ability to control the ship “gained the crew’s confidence,” Gellene said. Even early in Mehl’s tenure as commanding officer, Gellene could tell that the spirit of the ship improved dramatically the day after she took command.
The Bronze Star
Grace Mehl addressing the new Chief Petty Officers on the Flight Deck of the Gunston Hall during 1999 deployment. Photo from John Harrington
The navy awarded Mehl the Bronze Star for her work in 1999, when the armed forces provided support during the humanitarian crisis in the former Yugoslavia.
“I was very proud of the people on the ship,” Mehl said. “I got to wear the Bronze star, but I didn’t earn it: my crew earned it.”
Gellene recalled that the marines who were disembarking for the peacekeeping mission had to get ready each day, only to learn that the mission encountered additional delays.
Mehl, whom Gellene said kept everyone informed of orders and important information, had agreed to play bagpipe music on the day the mission would occur which was “very motivating.”
Mehl and the crew of the Gunston Hall also provided critical assistance in 1999, when an earlier enormous earthquake rocked Turkey, killing over 17,000 people. With Mehl at the helm, the ship tied up at a dock and the crew put up tents for displaced residents.
“The crew would have stayed forever if they could,” Gellene said. “Under her leadership, she kept everyone motivated and focused.”
In a less stressful but important moment for the ship, Gellene also recalled how the Gunston Hall was stationed in North Carolina during the Super Bowl in 1999. Before the widespread use and availability of cell phones, the ship had to face a particular direction to get a good satellite feed to watch the game. Mehl stayed at the helm, keeping the ship at the right angle so the crew could watch the Broncos defeat the Falcons in Super Bowl 33.
“You could imagine the morale boost,” Gellene said.
Grace Mehl speaks at a Memorial Day service at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Bald Hill in Farmingville. Photo by Ron Pacchiana
Current contributions
Mehl has established numerous connections to the Long Island community. Having given talks to students in elementary and high schools, she said people know her as “the Navy lady.”
She volunteers with Vietnam Veterans of America, is on the Board of Directors of the United Veterans Beacon House, and serves on Veterans Court.
Mehl also earned a certification as Eastern Apicultural Society Master Beekeeper and is the Education Director of the Long Island Beekeepers club.
Looking back on her service, Mehl believes she did something important during her two decades in the navy.
“I feel like I opened a door for women to be able to follow in the path that I broke for them,” she said. “I feel that we have come a long way in the military.
This column is generously sponsored by Bryant Funeral Home, 411 Old Town Road, East Setauket
Tim Malloy (right) with another jumper (Ness) from 2019 reenactment of Normandy.
Tim Malloy in a poppy field after Normandy jump.
Tim Malloy in Kuwait right after 9/11.
Tim Malloy fast-roping down to the roof of a building.
Tim Malloy skydiving off the coast of Long Island in the mid 1990's.
By Daniel Dunaief
Tim Malloy worked behind the scenes at highly visible military operations between 1976 and 2003. The fast twitch Malloy, who grew up in Islip and currently lives in Baiting Hollow, was frequently on high alert with his team of US Air Force Combat Pararescuemen.
Part of an elite group of soldiers with extensive and demanding training, Malloy, who retired as a Chief Master Sergeant, waited 15 miles away aboard a C-130 plane during Space Shuttle launches, prepared to jump into the water to provide assistance to astronauts in the event of an emergency.
In addition to heading into violent and dangerous storms, Malloy traveled to countries including Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq as part of the Air Force’s efforts to protect and retrieve troops.
Malloy and his fellow pararescuemen recognized the dangers of their job. “Every time you get in an airplane, you don’t know if it’s going to come back,” he said. “It’s a humbling feeling.”
A friend from childhood who Malloy convinced to become a pararescueman, David Ruvola suggested that Malloy is the kind of partner in arms other members of the military hope to find.
“When you’re dealing with life and death situations, you want the guy next to you that’s going to put his life on the line for yours,” Ruvola said. “You have to have the mindset of ‘if I lose my life trying to save my brother next to me, guess what, I’m going.’ There’s no question that [Malloy] is that kind of guy.”
Malloy and Ruvola were a part of a unit that supported efforts in Iraq.
During a firefight outside Abu Ghraib prison 20 years ago, a Humvee with several soldiers aboard rolled into a waterway. Without a moment’s hesitation, another soldier, Andrew Baddick, dove into the water to try to rescue the crew. Ruvola, who was a squadron commander during a time when Malloy was a pararescueman, were called to the scene.
The pararescue squad was the only one in the country with scuba tanks, although those tanks didn’t have any air. Ruvola filled them up in a firehouse and sent two helicopters, including Malloy to the scene.
Malloy and his team entered the dirty water, where they traveled hand over hand to find the fallen soldiers, including Baddick. “It took us quite a while, but we recovered the bodies,” Malloy said.
Emotional meeting
About a decade after recovering the soldiers, Malloy was at a camper show in Hershey Park, Pennsylvania, where about 50,000 people attended. He noticed a man wearing a gold star hat, which meant he had lost a family member during a conflict. Malloy expressed his sympathies. When the father told his story, Malloy recognized the details. “I recovered your son’s body,” Malloy told Joseph Baddick, who was Andrew’s father. “I remember the whole thing.”
At lunch that day, Malloy shared details with Baddick about his son. “He didn’t know the nuts and bolts of the whole thing,” Malloy said. “It was, by far, one of the most emotional moments for me in the military.”
Sea rescues
In addition to high profile missions or rescue attempts, Malloy experienced some challenging and high risk efforts that were part of his Air Force responsibilities.
After a Portuguese ship sank, four fisherman were in a life raft designed for three people. Malloy and another rescue man jumped from a helicopter and swam to the raft in frigid waters in the middle of November. Suffering from hypothermia, the fishermen weren’t thinking clearly and had started taking off their clothing.
The Air Force crew raised the fisherman, who had pink skin from the cold, into the helicopter. One of Malloy’s crew got into a sleeping bag with a fisherman to help raise his body heat. In the cold helicopter, the crew administered intravenous fluids they had preheated.
“As the blood was getting back into their body, they started shivering violently,” Malloy said, which was a good sign that they were starting to warm up.
In a separate incident, the appendix of a man aboard a tanker in the middle of the ocean burst. Malloy and another rescuer jumped out of a C-130 in the middle of the night and swam to the ship, where they relied on their training as emergency medical technician at a paramedic level to treat the crew member.
A life changing article
When he was young, Malloy recalled how people stood when the flag went by during Flag Day and Veteran’s Day. He enjoyed the hot dogs and soda he consumed at the American Legion after attending parades.
After he graduated from Islip High School, Malloy wasn’t sure what he’d do with his life. “I ended up reading an article in the Daily News about guys who jumped out of planes and rescued people,” he said. “I mentioned in to my mom and she said, ‘it sounds like it’s right up your alley.’”
The training was more difficult than he thought, especially because, despite being playing lacrosse, basketball and football, he wasn’t much of a swimmer. Even with the Air Force’s effort to weed out people, he didn’t believe quitting was an option.
Sounding like Richard Gere in the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, Malloy said he had “nothing to go back to.” Being surrounded by like-minded men raised Malloy’s game, making him work harder.
His military experience “fit my personality and lifestyle and worked for me,” Malloy said. He joined the Suffolk County Police Department after he retired, where he worked until 2018. The military “taught me how to treat people,” he said. Even some of the people he arrested thanked him for how he interacted with them.
Normandy
After he retired from the police force, Malloy heard about an effort to recreate the 75th anniversary of the Allied Forces’ attack at Normandy. He signed up to jump out of an airplane. The participants had to have 15 recent jumps to qualify, which he did by jumping out of planes in Oklahoma, Florida and Texas. Wearing original combat uniforms and jumping out of a restored airplane from the invasion, Malloy, who was the only New Yorker in the anniversary jump, was on the first plane from which soldiers parachuted into a poppy field in France. French residents came up to him and thanked him for coming.
In the United States, Malloy appreciates the treatment veterans receive from most civilians.“It’s a really good feeling,” he said. “I get treated with a lot of respect.”
This column is generously sponsored by Casper Contracting Inc.
The Vietnam memorial in Bill Richards Park in Hauppauge. Photo from Town of Smithtown
By Daniel Dunaief
The first day Kevin O’Hare arrived in Vietnam, a bullet flew over his head during reverie. Vietcong fighters regularly targeted the assembled morning crowd of soldiers who stood in formation to honor the flag.
Kevin O’HareWayne Johnson
“That was a shock,” recalled O’Hare, a resident of Kings Park who is a retired sales director for RJR Nabisco and who served in the army from 1966 to 1968. “I jumped in the bunker as fast as I could.”
O’Hare, who shared memories of his time in the military, wants to ensure that others have an opportunity to reflect and appreciate the soldiers who served during the war amid a time of civil discontent in the United States.
In 1966, the hamlet of Hauppauge created what O’Hare and others believe is one of the first tributes to those serving in Vietnam. The “Vietnam Era Hauppauge Honor Roll” memorial sits in Bill Richards Park near Suffolk County’s H. Lee Dennison Building off Veterans Memorial Highway and will soon add plaques with the names of O’Hare and navy veteran Wayne “Mickey” Johnson.
Officials have considered the possibility of moving the memorial, O’Hare said, although he would prefer that it remain in the park.
Close calls
O’Hare’s near miss during reverie was one of several other times he could have been severely injured or worse, including two incidents when mortar landed without exploding outside his tent. “They were duds,” he said. “If they had gone off,” said the 78-year old father of two and the grandfather of four, “I wouldn’t be here.”
In April of 1967, O’Hare was in a bunker with five other men. A mortar round came in and killed three of his fellow soldiers.
At another point, a man approached O’Hare with a bag. As he got closer, the man tried to strap the satchel around O’Hare. Two infantry men assigned to protect O’Hare saw the exchange and shot the man before he could plant explosives that would have killed O’Hare.
So, what made this American soldier worth an attempted assassination?
Boosting morale
Bob Hope with Joey Heatherton
Initially a mortar man, O’Hare’s experience with the Soupy Sales comedy show in New York prior to his tour of duty attracted the attention of army brass. Officials asked O’Hare to help run the shows for the United Service Organization, or USO.
Started in 1941, these shows entertained troops stationed overseas and gave them a taste of home half a world away. The entertainment “took them away from the war,” said O’Hare, “even for two hours. They looked forward to it.”
In some ways, the shows were the antidote to people like Hanoi Hannah, a radio broadcaster from North Korea who chided American troops, suggesting that their girlfriends back home were cheating on them or that they were fighting an unjust and unwelcome war.
The USO shows featured Hollywood stars, who were determined to bring their talents to members of the military who might otherwise feel disconnected from American life or who might be physically or emotionally wounded. Seats in the first 10 rows for these often crowded shows were reserved for the wounded.
O’Hare worked with celebrities including Bob Hope, an entertainer who hosted the Academy Awards 19 times.
Hope, who later became an honorary veteran for visiting the troops starting in World War II and ending with the Persian Gulf War, was eager to visit the wounded in the hospital after his show, O’Hare recalled.
Crazy hair and a helicopter ride
Comedienne Phyllis Diller, who was famous for her wild hair and self-deprecating stand up routines, also traveled to Vietnam. During Diller’s visit, O’Hare recalled, the army arranged to transport her in a Huey, a helicopter with a single blade. Nervous about flying in a small helicopter, Diller asked O’Hare if he could help her fly in the larger Chinook, which has two blades.
After receiving the approval of senior officers, O’Hare strapped a chair next to a pole in the Chinook. Sandwiched between the cue cars on one side of the helicopter and her clothing on the other, Diller rode in her preferred helicopter.
Before she returned to the United States, Diller drew a self-portrait, with spiky hair and a smile on her face and signed her name for O’Hare.“That’s the craziest autograph I ever had,” O’Hare recalled. It wasn’t, however, the last.
Legendary actor and future head of the National Rifle Association, Charlton Heston, who played Moses in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments, also made the long trip to Vietnam to entertain the troops. On his last day before returning the states, Heston chatted with O’Hare. Heston, who autographed a program for O’Hare, asked him when he would return to the States. O’Hare recalled being nervous speaking with the intense and direct Heston.
Kevin O’Hare meets actor Charlton Heston during the actor’s visit to Vietnam in 1967.
“When you get back,” Heston urged, “you’re going to see my new movie.” When he returned to the States, O’Hare saw the film Heston mentioned: Planet of the Apes.
In addition to working with celebrities including five winners of the Miss America contest, O’Hare coordinated shows in between these high-profile visits. He kept a list of the people who could play instruments. When he found out about a drummer, a guitarist and others who could play instruments, he formed a band that provided live performances.
O’Hare also helped bring a show to the Black Virgin Mountain near Cambodia. For his work bringing that show to the troops, O’Hare won the Bronze Star.
Respect for others
While the Kings Park resident appreciates the recognition, he knows, despite escaping serious injury and death in Vietnam, that he had a considerably easier experience than many of other members of the military.
He recalled the terrible job of “tunnel rat” that the smallest and lightest men had to perform. Once the Americans found some of the tunnels built under their bases and scattered throughout the country, the tunnel rat had to try to flush out the enemy. The Vietcong left scorpions, tarantulas and snakes for the Americans. Seeing the disadvantage of fitting the profile for this job, some servicemen tried to gain weight quickly so they wouldn’t fit in small tunnels that often became death traps.
Since he left the army, O’Hare has continued to try to serve some of his fellow vets. He sits with vets and talks at a bagel store. He has also helped restore monuments like the one at Bill Richards Park, so people don’t forget the service and sacrifice of other Long Islanders. O’Hare is also the president of the Citizen’s Police Academy.
For his consistent and enduring contributions to the community, O’Hare has won several admirers. “Nothing is too much work for him,” said Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset). “He does more than 20 or 30-year-olds. He’s a rocket.”
Proud of his service
Wayne Johnson on the amphibious ship USS Hermitage in 1970.
A navy veteran who served from 1968 to 1972 and a 1967 graduate of Hauppauge High School, Wayne “Mickey” Johnson is excited about the prospect of seeing his name alongside those of other members of the community who served during Vietnam.
Johnson would like his grown sons to see his name on the memorial along with those of some of his high school friends.
“I’m proud of my service,” said Johnson, who spent two years stationed in Puerto Rico and two years stationed on the amphibious ship USS Hermitage, which included a six month stint in the Mediterranean.
Johnson, who is a resident of Patchogue, said his father, Vandorn Johnson, served in the navy during World War II and the Korean conflict.
Johnson, whose brother shares a name with his father and is preparing the additional plaques, said he knows his father would be pleased with his service.
Johnson said he doesn’t mind if the memorial moves. “Wherever it is, I’ll find it,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier to be on it.”
Above, Lily Bonacasa, daughter of American war hero Louis Bonacasa, holding her father’s portrait. Photo courtesy Deborah Bonacasa
Deborah and Lily Bonacasa are a mother-and-daughter team who have distributed thousands of toys to needy children over the last three years during the Christmas season.
When Lily was a second grader, she sat on Santa’s lap as he asked what she wanted for Christmas. She said she only wanted to help children who were less fortunate, those who couldn’t receive gifts. Knowing her story, Santa began to weep.
Deborah and Lily live in Sound Beach. But Deborah grew up in Lemoore, California. After graduating high school, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was sent to a base in Utah. As an information manager, she provided networking and computer support to 75th Air Base Wing members. While in uniform, she met her future husband Louis.
Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa
Louis Bonacasa was a local kid. He graduated from Newfield High School in 2002. Deborah described Louis as someone “who demonstrated a boundless amount of energy toward playing baseball, being with his friends, hiking, shooting and demonstrating humor amongst his loved ones.”
In high school, Louis watched the attacks of 9/11. It inspired a love of country and a commitment to serve, and he soon entered active duty in the Air Force. Louis quickly rose through the ranks, presented with accolades for his devoted duty to the nation. Louis soon reenlisted as a security forces member of the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton Beach. He then transferred to Stewart Air National Guard Base 105th Airlift Wing in Newburgh where he deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar.
Seven years ago, on Dec. 21, 2015, Louis was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber near Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Louis was working as a tactical security element truck commander, tasked with the dangerous job of gathering intelligence on the operations of the enemy outside of this major air base. His assignment was hazardous, as he was often the “eyes” of Bagram to protect it from the enemy.
On patrol, Louis was approached by a suicide-bomber motorcyclist. To protect his men, Louis positioned himself between this adversary and his comrades, and he was killed with five of his soldiers.
Louis is honored with several sites by local and state governments to remember his ultimate military sacrifice. On Rocky Point Yaphank Road toward Middle Island, a major thoroughfare connecting the North and South shores was named in his honor. For travelers on the Long Island Expressway, they are reminded of the memory of Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa on the bridge that connects the northern and southern service roads on Yaphank Avenue.
Above, members of Lily’s Toy House during a gift donation event in Rocky Point Saturday, Dec. 3. Photo by Raymond Janis
Lily’s Toy House
In 2016, Mark Baisch of Landmark Properties and Rocky Point VFW Post 6249 Cmdr. Joe Cognitore presented Deborah and Lily with a new $350,000 home in Sound Beach that was sold to the Bonacasa family for less than $200,000, according to CBS New York.
Deborah was thankful for the altruism shown to her family during that highly delicate moment. After Lily spoke to Santa Claus, Deborah believed it was time to pay it forward.
Deborah spoke of her desire never to want to turn down families that are unable to purchase gifts. The Bonacasas have created two nonprofits, Lily’s Toy House and the SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Fund. Working with Long Island Helping Hands, they target needy families.
In 2020, Lily was interviewed by Savannah Guthrie on the “Today” show. Lily presented a brilliant smile and spoke to America about her goals in helping other children have a lovely Christmas.
The holiday demand has grown due to COVID-19 pressures and rising inflation. Three years ago, there were about 1,000 donated toys collected. Today Lily’s Toy House has distributed over 3,000. Deborah hopes to expand this program to accommodate families across this state and region, especially to military families.
Lily is a sixth grader at Rocky Point Middle School, where she is a well-rounded student, determined to help others. As a young lady who lost her father, she can speak to others about handling adversity at an early age.
Reactions from the community
Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) has followed firsthand the efforts of the Bonacasa family. “Staff Sergeant Bonacasa gave his life for his country, so we can all live free,” Bonner said. “Deborah and Lily have honored his service so meaningfully with their annual toy drive.”
The councilwoman added, “Lily is a remarkable young girl, who faced a great loss, decided to follow in her father’s footsteps by helping others. The community appreciates all that Deborah and Lily do to bring joy to children in need.”
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. (D) said he is reminded of Louis every time he drives to the Riverhead Correctional Facility. The county sheriff appreciates Lily’s thoughtful spirit and compassion.
Lily is an “inspiration to all of us, despite losing her father at a young age while he protected Americans in Afghanistan,” he said. “She was still able to think of others before herself, and her dedication to ensure that those most in need have a wonderful Christmas through Lily’s Toy House reminds all Suffolk residents of the true meaning of Christmas.”
First Lt. John Fernandez, of Rocky Point, is in awe of the patriotic spirit that Lily inspires. “What does it mean to give?” he said. “Staff Sergeant Louis Bonacasa did not lose his life for our country. He gave it heroically for his family and nation. Despite his family’s unfathomable sacrifice, his wife, Deborah, and daughter, Lily, found the strength to continue to give by donating toys to children during the holidays and those who continue to serve today. This shows a depth of courage and love that should be emulated.”
Cognitore described the immense cost the family paid in defense of the nation, calling the support toward the family mortgage “not a handout, but rather a hand up.” He reflected on the positive work the family has done since.
“It has been a wonderful experience to see Lily speak at veterans and charitable events,” the post commander said. “There is no price that could be attached to the valuable community initiatives that both mother and daughter perform for our citizens during the last several Christmas holidays.”
James Moeller, Lily’s middle school principal, said he is amazed by her fortitude. “Lily is a hardworking and quiet girl who is always willing to help her teachers and classmates,” he said. “On a regular basis, she is a positive young lady who always wears a big smile on her face. It’s no surprise that Lily is a driving force behind this wonderful toy drive that her family continually organizes.”
Through her charitable endeavors, Lily continues to follow in her father’s footsteps by sharing love and generosity toward others during Christmas.
For adding light and joy into the lives of others and for honoring her dad’s legacy, TBR News Media recognizes Lily Bonacasa as a 2022 Person of the Year.
Rich Acritelli is a history teacher at Rocky Point High School and adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College.
From left to right, physician assistants Michelle Rosa and Katherine Malloy, Dr. David Fiorella and Dr. Jason Mathew visit Joseph Annunziata in his hospital bed. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine
By Daniel Dunaief
Joseph “Bob” Annunziata, a resident of Kings Park, wants you not to be like him.
An army veteran, Annunziata urges residents and, in particular, other veterans, to pay attention to their medical needs and to take action when they find out they have a problem.
A self-described “tough guy” who grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Annunziata put off medical care for a partially blocked left carotid artery and it caused a medical crisis.
“My brother and sister vets, if you got a pain or the doctor tells you to do something, do it,” he said. “It almost cost me my life. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else.”
Joseph Annunziata at his 80th birthday party
Annunziata, 80, was driving to the supermarket on Veterans Day when his right hand became limp and he was slurring his speech. Knowing he was in trouble, he turned the car around and drove 10 minutes to the Northport VA Medical Center.
The doctors evaluated him and rushed him to Stony Brook University Hospital, which is well equipped to handle stroke-related emergencies and is the only hospital in the state named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care for eight years in a row.
Several doctors evaluated Annunziata, including by Dr. David Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center and Co-Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Jason Mathew, stroke neurologist.
“We identified that there was a severe blockage in the left side of his brain,” said Dr. Mathew. “If blood flow is not returned to this area, the patient is at risk for a larger area of stroke.”
Indeed, a larger stroke could have caused right side paralysis and could have robbed Annunziata of his ability to speak or worse.
Performing emergency surgery could protect endangered brain cells, but also presented some risk. If not removed carefully and completely, the clot in the carotid artery could travel into the brain or the stroke could expand over time due to a lack of sufficient blood flow to the left side of the brain.
Time pressure
Stony Brook doctors discussed the particulars of the case together and explained the situation to Annunziata, who could understand what they were describing and respond despite symptoms that threatened to deteriorate.
The hospital, which does between 200 and 250 interventional stroke treatments per year and handles many more strokes than that annually, has a group of health care specialists who can provide accessible information to patients who are not experts in the field and who need to make an informed decision under time pressure.
Stony Brook has become adept at “conveying this complex information in a time-sensitive way,” Dr. Fiorella said. In those cases for which surgery is the best option, each minute that the doctors don’t open up a blood vessel reduces the benefits and increases the risk of longer-term damage.
Stony Brook sees about one to two of these kinds of cases per month. As a whole, the hospital, which is a large referral center, sees numerous complex and unusual cerebrovascular cases of all types, Dr. Fiorella said.
Annunziata and the doctors decided to have the emergency surgery.
Dr. Fiorella used a balloon guiding catheter, which is a long tube with a working inner lumen that has a soft balloon on the outside of it that is designed to temporarily block flow. He deploys these occlusion balloons in most all stroke cases.
The particular way he used it in these complete carotid occlusions is unique. The balloon guiding catheter makes interventional stroke procedures more efficient, safer, and the outcomes better, according to data for thrombectomy, Dr. Fiorella said.
The occlusion balloon enabled Dr. Fiorella to control blow flow the entire time, which makes the procedure safer. The surgery took under an hour and involved a small incision in Annunziata’s right wrist.
Joseph Annunziata with his girlfriend Rosemarie Madrose
After the surgery, Annunziata was able to speak to doctors and call Rosemarie Madrose, his girlfriend of five and a half years. “He came out talking,” said Madrose. “I could understand him. I was relieved.” Four days after the emergency operation, Annunziata, who also received post operative care from Dr. Yuehjien Gu, Neurocritical Care Unit Director, left the hospital and returned to his home, where he spent the next morning preparing a welcome meal of a scrambled egg and two slices of toast.
The doctors attribute Annunziata’s quick recovery to a host of factors. Getting himself to the hospital as soon as symptoms started saved precious minutes, Dr. Fiorella said, as “time is brain.” He also advised against driving for people having stroke-like symptoms, which can include slurred speech, numbness, weakening of the arm or leg and loss of vision in one eye.
Dr. Fiorella urged people to call for help or to get a ride in an ambulance. Stony Brook has two mobile stroke unit ambulances, which are equipped with technology to assess patients while en route, saving time and alerting doctors in the hospital to patients who might need immediate attention and intervention.
These mobile units, which are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., have helped reduce death and disability for stroke and have cut down the length of stays in the hospital.
People or family and friends who are observing someone who might be having a stroke can call 911 and indicate that the patient is having stroke-like symptoms. The emergency operator will alert the mobile stroke unit of a possible case if the unit is available and the patient is in range.
Helping a veteran
The doctors involved in Annunziata’s care were well aware of the fact that they were treating a veteran on Veterans Day.
“Oftentimes, we think about how we can give back more than just a thank you” to people like Annunziata, who “risked his life and helped his country the way he could,” said Dr. Mathew. “I’m helping him the way I can help.”
Dr. Fiorella added that he thought it was “wonderful” to “help someone who’s given so much to our country on Veterans Day.”
Army origin
Annunziata explained that he wound up in the Army through a circuitous route.“We watched all the war movies” when he was young and wanted to join the Marines, he said.
When he went to enlist in 1962, he was told there was a two and a half year wait. He and his young friends got the same reception at the Air Force, Navy and the Army. As they were leaving the Army building on Whitehall Street, he and his friends ran into a sergeant with numerous medals on his uniform. The sergeant urged them to go back up the hallway and enter the first door on the right and indicate that they wanted to expedite the draft. About a week later, Annunziata was drafted and got a 15 cent token in the mail for a train trip to Wall Street.
After basic training at Fort Dix, he was stationed in Greenland, where Annunziata operated a radar at the top of a mountain for two years. He participated in drills in which he had to catch American planes flying overhead.
Fortunately, he said, even during the height of the Cold War and just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Annunziata never spotted a Russian threat, even though the base was just 20 minutes from Russian air space.
Having gone through emergency surgery that likely saved his life, Annunziata urges residents to pay attention to any medical needs on their radar.
Dr. Fiorella was amazed at how quickly Annunziata expressed concern for his fellow veterans during his recovery.
“One of the first things he talked about was, ‘How can I use what happened to me to help other vets?’” Dr. Fiorella said.
Annunziata’s girlfriend Madrose, who is grateful that the procedure saved his life, said he “didn’t listen to me. He knew he had to do this. I kept saying, ‘When are you going to do it?’ He said, ‘I will, I will, I will.’ He learned the hard way.” She added that they both know he is “extremely lucky.”
Three Village fourth-grade student Mia Goldin used what she learned during the district’s Summer Enrichment Program to prepare French toast for Cooking for Long Island Veterans. Photo from Three Village Central School District
For the past few years, Stony Brook resident Rena Sylvester has helped veterans throughout Suffolk County through her organization Cooking For Long Island Veterans.
Recently, CFLIV has expanded the number of events it offers to raise funds to cover expenses and possible future expansion. One of those events was held Oct. 9, as more than 50 runners and walkers took part in a 5K at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown.
Though it began as a school club, CFLIV is now a nonprofit food pantry dedicated to helping homebound veterans on Long Island. Every week veterans receive three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners and lots of snacks. The meals are provided by restaurants and volunteers who cook in certified kitchens.
One of the volunteers is Karen Fazio, president of the Setauket Fire Department Auxiliary. She said she is always looking for the auxiliary to do something for the community. She saw CFLIV on Facebook and mentioned it to the auxiliary members, a couple of whom decided to volunteer with her.
Fazio said during her time volunteering she has done a bit of everything from cooking, packing up meals and delivering them to the veterans.
“It’s very rewarding no matter which job you do,” she said.
The volunteer said when she drops off meals sometimes she’ll have time to stay and talk a while with the veterans. She said some don’t have families so the work the nonprofit does is an important one.
At a recent 5K event at Blydenburgh County Park, runners came out to raise funds for Cooking for Long Island Veterans. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Sylvester, a retired home economics teacher who comes from a military family, said she started CFLIV “by accident.” During her career at East Islip school district, she created a club that mailed care packages to deployed members of the military. Sylvester and her students sent packages to many local soldiers, including those belonging to the 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton and the 1st Marine Corps District in Garden City. In the beginning, they would prepare very simple meals. However, in later years the club started receiving food from restaurants, including the Rolling Pin bakery in East Setauket. This allowed Sylvester to prepare more inviting meals.
In February of 2019, the organization began to expand.
“I was going on vacation, and there was a Korean War veteran that was complaining about the meals he was getting [from another organization],” Sylvester said. “So, I brought him a couple of meals.”
Soon, the pandemic hit and many people were concerned about food provision for veterans. At the time, “I had just stopped working at a homeless shelter for veterans, so I knew veterans in need. So, it kind of blossomed out of that,” she said.
Currently, CFLIV feeds 45 veterans around Long Island. Veterans in need have been recommended to the nonprofit by social workers from the VA.
Along with the increased numbers of veterans served, CFLIV receives help from local restaurants, such as Bliss, Elegant Eating and Panico’s Community Market. In addition, the VFW posts in Rocky Point, Lake Ronkonkoma and Patchogue allow volunteers to use their kitchens.
In addition to the recent 5K run, the nonprofit has organized other fundraisers to raise much-needed money. Earlier this year, CFLIV held a bourbon night, which Sylvester described as “a smashing success.”
A car show was held in October, alsoa cigar night with a raw seafood bar. In November to date, there has been a murder mystery dinner, while the organization has also participated in the 247th Marine Corps Birthday Ball.
It is still difficult to raise enough money to cover expenses. “We pay a cleaning woman, we pay two insurance policies, we have to buy certain things, we have utilities … it’s mostly donations,” Sylvester said.
To help pay bills, CFLIV asks veterans above a certain income level to pay a weekly donation of $10 to $20. In comparison, Sylvester explained, other organizations charge a few dollars per day. However, veterans sometimes find it difficult to pay. The nonprofit will still provide meals to them.
Other problems include lack of driver volunteers, breakfast foods and containers. Sylvester said they are always looking for help, whether it’s buying supplies, picking up food or delivering to veterans.
In spite of these challenges, Sylvester is continuing to hold events and increase volunteer involvement in CFLIV.
“One of the reasons we’re having the fundraisers is because we are going to be working with either the town [Brookhaven] or county officials,” she said. To increase operations, “we’re interested in getting an abandoned building, but nobody’s going to give us a pristine abandoned building.”
Sylvester’s goal is to raise $100,000 before they begin to look for a building.
“We’re going to need staff, we’re going to need insurance, we’re going to have some serious bills,” she said.
So far, all the work by CFLIV volunteers has paid off, and the organization has received help from other food donation organizations on Long Island. Recently, CFLIV became a member of Feeding America and food rescue program Island Harvest.
CFLIV is also a food rescue program. “As much as feeding veterans is important, rescue food is a very, very close second,” Sylvester said. “I love when volunteers take food. I love when we can give stuff to the VFW. Sometimes I do go to the Marine Corps League, and when I do I bring them all this stuff and they go home with a loaf of bread and they love it.”
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
Scene from Greenlawn Veterans Day ceremony. Photo by Media Origin
By Michael Scro
A Veteran’s Day ceremony was held at Greenlawn Memorial Park this past Veterans Day on November 11th at 11 a.m., where attendees participated in the honoring of veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
Hosted by American Legion Post 1244, it featured neighboring American Legion members, Greenlawn Fire Department members, as well as community groups, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and family/friends of veterans.
Donna Boyle, commander of American Legion Post 1244, noted it is the only ceremony in the Town of Huntington that is held on Veteran’s Day, and said the ceremony notes all six branches of the United States Military: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.
“America has been an all volunteer force since before 1978, which is when I joined the service,” Boyle said. “Approximately one percent of Americans have assumed the responsibility for ensuring that America’s ideals continue, and we owe these veterans a large thank you.”
Father John Carr, Chapin of American Legion Post 1244, read aloud a prayer to honor veterans, followed by the wreath presentations around the memorial statues and monuments at the park.Wreaths were presented by American Legion 1244, Greenlawn Fire Department, Greenlawn Civic Association, Greenlawn Lions Club, Girl Scout Troop 706 and 519 and Boy Scout Troop 2255 and 32.
“We thank everyone for coming out today, and we thank our young children for coming to learn respect for American — it is very important,” Boyle said.
A graduate of SUNY Binghamton, Mehl, who grew up on a chicken farm, had a desire to get a job that makes a difference and to see the world. Her sister Jane and her college roommate had also joined the military, so she already had examples of women who had gone into the service.
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