Being away from family for the holidays can be hard for soldiers serving overseas, but thanks to a group of West Hempstead students, faculty and residents, the separation became more bearable this year.
Andrea Giordano recently inspired her colleagues and the students at George Washington Elementary School in West Hempstead with stories of her son’s second deployment. Cpl. Joseph Giordano, a graduate of West Hempstead High School (Class of 2005), is presently serving in the Persian Gulf. Along with his wife, Elizabeth Lopez-Giordano, also a West Hempstead H.S. graduate, the Student Council packed care packages for Giordano and other deployed soldiers.
When the price of postage became a problem for them though, West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce President Karl Riesterer and the Manuella family quickly stepped up and covered the costs with generous donations.
On Wednesday, a representative for the school district said the packages have arrived and the soldiers say they are helping to ease the “monotony of war.”
