Blogs 12 Long Island

Veterans and Valentines Day

By Ken Grimball

     Seated in wheelchairs across Long Island, hundreds of veterans wait day after day.  Although their numbers are large, many feel alone. These are people who, many years ago, were wide eyed and willing to fight to keep Americans safe. How many of us can truthfully say that we have even thought about a veteran recently?  Many are in comfortable buildings, but they face the daily discomfort of being left to the memories of how they arrived at their present conditions.  

     Today in Plainview, a group of  excited children tried to make a difference in the lives of some Long Island veterans.  They were from the Burns Avenue Elementary School in Hicksville.  Hundreds of beautiful valentine cards were delivered to the Nassau County Veterans's Service Office.  Many of them had large colorful hearts drawn on their fronts.  The wording thanked the veterans for their service in the military and wished them a happy Valentines Day.  They were added to boxes and bags of other cards contributed by children from many other Long Island elementary schools.

      Those valentine cards will be greatly appreciated by veterans who are getting along in years.  For some who sit and wait alone each day, those thoughtful valentine cards will remind the veterans that they are loved and appreciated for the service they have given to keep Americans free. 

   

The Mailman

By Ken Grimball

Rain, shine, snow or hail, nothing stops the U.S. Mail.  With employees like Frank Hunter working to make sure we get our mail on time, we can rest assured those letters will be there when we need them.  For the past 45-years the Amityville Letter Carrier has fallen in love with the people on his postal route.  Unfortunately, Frank Hunter retired on January 2nd, 2009.  But his legacy lives on.

 

Born in Amityville 68-years-ago Hunter, one of eleven siblings, Frank later became a member of the United States Army.  He was stationed in Korea where he met his beautiful wife Kim.   With hope for the future, the two came back to his birth place.  Kim could not speak English well; however she found a job working at a Bay Shore Deli, where she remained 37-years. They have four sons, some of whom were enlisted in the Armed Forces as well. 

 

The Letter Carrier is not your average garden variety employee.  When he landed his job, Hunter decided to help people along his Amityville route.   Not only would Hunter deliver mail, he delivered cakes that he baked the night before to people he felt were in need of being cheered up.  With a natural, melodic voice, he serenaded customers. The Letter Carrier has seen new born babies and grow into adulthood. Children sang to him, offered him cold drinks in the summer and hot chocolate in the winter.  He was an advocate and friend to many of his customers. 

 

Frank Hunter doesn't know exactly what he will do during his retirement years, although he has had a few job offers; however, the people along his Amityville route will never forget the humble man who delivered their mail  for almost half a century.

Remembering Our Veterans

By Ken Grimball

Seated comfortably in their Home and Careers Class, students at Selina's Junior High School in Setauket, were very busy with a special project. They were using thousands of small red, white, and blue beads that were in a large bowl on a table before them. Next to the bowl, there was a tray of large golden safety pins. With a few giggles now and then, the Eighth Grade girls were placing the beads carefully on the pins. This was not being done randomly. There was a purpose. They were making creative flag pins, that could be worn on clothing or placed on the wall.  The flag pins were for Veterans, living at the nearby Long Island Veterans Home in nearby Stony Brook. Students in this class reach out to people in their community who are not often on the front page or identified at the Shopping Malls.

The youngsters appeared to be delighted with their project. While speaking with them I detected a level of appreciation for the people who had fought so galantly for them in Viet Nam and other conflicts. As a Viet Nam era Veteran, I felt quite honored to think that children today had so much feeling and gratitude for these people who faced battles and who still have scars mentally and physically from being in all sorts of conditions while defending the freedom that we have here in the Good Old U.S.A.

By the time the project is completed, the students will have made Two-hundred-fifty flag pins to be given to the Veterans on their well deserved day, November 11th.

A Day In The Sun

By Ken Grimball

     The sun shown brilliantly over Lido Beach Town Park around Noon on Friday July 18th.  Despite the humid air and hot temperatures, as many as 600 young people with various disabilities appeared to be having an exciting "Day In The Sun."  The event was sponsored by The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association and the Town of Hempstead.    The sound of laughter filled the air along with the strong smell of smoke billowing barbecued Hamburgers and Hot Dogs.  Under white caps, with the letters PBA printed boldly in front, Nassau Law Enforcement agents grilled as if there was no tomorrow.  It was hard to tell at times which was brighter, the smiles on the children's faces or the Police Officers.   

     This is the 40th year this heart warming event has taken place in Nassau County.  It's the sixth year Nassau County's finest have been involved.  And involved they were! As many as One-hundred-officers sported their familiar navy-blue NCP shirts.

      Some of the music was produced by a local DJ, who really knew how to crank up loud deep beats.   Some of the dancers were so happy, that they seemed to be jumping into and floating on air, as they pointed and mused with each other while having a flat out unforgettable time.            

    It was wonderful to see people--some in wheel chairs, some using walkers, some leaning on crutches and some being lead by the hand--enjoying the fresh air from the nearby water.  They were having the time of their lives. 

     The entertainment was non-stop.  Under the noon day sun, people stood on line waiting to have a chance to throw that ball that just might be the one to dump a Police Officer into the chilly Dunk Tank.  Several yards away the sound of a Nassau County Police helicopter landed on a field with crowds of fun-seekers cheering and slapping high fives.  Nearby, mounted and Highway Patrol Officers stood by for everyone to see.   Massive Inflated Castles swayed in the breeze as smiling youngsters lined up to have their chance to jump next.

    During the year the Nassau Police contribute to a fund that pays for the tons of food, drinks and the many extras that it takes to makes a day like this possible. It was a great distraction from the hum drum normal tasks for both groups.   For the Police Officers and the participants it was "A Day in the Sun."

Patriotism on Long Island

By Ken Grimball

I was very impressed as I walked down Park Avenue, in Wantagh, on Friday morning, July 4th.

My assignment was to do a story on three Long Island Fourth Of July parades. The cloudy and humid weather would make the best of us want to stay in our air conditioned homes, especially on a day we are allowed to have that second or even third cup of coffee while looking through the morning paper. 

But this was not the story in Wantagh, as well as many other Long Island towns.  The sidewalks in Wantagh were lined with patriotic residents from the surrounding community.  Many children were tastefully and carefully dressed in red, white, and blue colors.  Some youngsters and adults were seated in beach chairs anticipating the excitement of the annual Fourth of July Parade. Others stood clutching coffee cups and water bottles.  Patriotism appeared to be alive and well in this Nassau County community. 

There were apparently no thoughts of high gas prices, impending home foreclosures, and  no evidence of our troubled economy.  There were happy people waving flags, smiling, hugging and cheering on volunteers from the local fire company, along with the people who live down the block.

It was Main Street at its best on the 232nd birthday of the good old U.S. of A