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Community Corner

West Hempstead Vets Serve Fellow War Heroes

American Legion Cathedral Post 1087, with help of local Girl Scouts, host afternoon of food, music and bingo for veterans of the St. Albans hospital.

The motto of 'Leave no man behind' doesn't just apply to the battlefield - at least not for these West Hempstead veterans.

It was a classic example of vets helping their fellow vets. With the help of some local Girl Scouts, the American Legion Cathedral Post 1087 hosted an afternoon of home cooking, music and bingo Saturday for 21 patients from the New York State Veterans Home at St. Albans.

"You see them here and you appreciate what they did for us, and they appreciate what we're doing for them," said Michael Guerriero, second vice commander for the Post.

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"We've been doing this every year since I've been here, and that's about 60 years," said Ladies Auxiliary member Marianne Orlando.  The Ladies' Auxiliary made goodie bags and much of the food for the event.

Although Post 1087 has hosted the event for more than half a century, this year they received some extra helping hands - small ones - from Girl Scout Troop 1098. After nervously entering the room, the girls quickly gained confidence as they weaved around the tables, refilling sodas and serving heaping dishes to all the patients. 

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The post gladly hosts the event twice a year for veterans from the nursing home in Queens. In the past, veterans from the Northport VA Medical Center attended the event as well, but stopped because of the long commute from the north shore of Suffolk county.

Many of the visiting veterans had served in World War II and the Korean War and could easily find common ground with the members of Post 1087, which includes vets from World War II all the way through Operation Desert Storm.

Click on the gallery to the top right to see photos from the event.

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