Crowd Gathers On North Fork To Honor Veterans: 'How Do We Thank Them?'
SOUTHOLD, NY — A crowd turned out in Southold Saturday to honor the nation’s heroes at a heartfelt and gratitude-filled Veterans Day service held at the American Legion’s Griswold Terry Glover Post 803.
Post Commander David DeFriest thanked all those in attendance, including veterans, members of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, Scouts, elected officials, and the community.
Former Commander Charles Sanders pointed out a new tradition that was born in Southold in 2021 for Veterans Day when a 9/11 memorial Swamp White Oak sapling was planted, derived directly from the trees located at the 9/11 memorial in New York City.
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A family who lives in New York City collected the Swamp White Oak acorns on their daily walks by the World Trade Center Memorial during the pandemic, he explained. “They nurtured the acorns in their apartment and found great meaning in watching them sprout,” Sanders said.
Next, in the summer of 2020, they gave a sprout to a North Fork family, Peter, Claire and Jack, who adopted the seedling and nurtured it, before offering it to the American Legion — and the idea for a permanent memorial was conceived, Sanders said, at the time.
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The reason the Swamp White Oaks were chosen for the 9/11 Memorial, he said, was that they are native to all three spots impacted by the attacks, including New York City, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Sanders said it was important to teach children about 9/11.
As the tree grows, pavers will honor new veterans every year; honored this year was Specialist Fourth Class Carl Deliteris. He served in the Army combat engineer division, was wounded in Vietnam and was a recipient of the Purple Heart, DeFriest said, adding that he was an active member of the Legion before his death in June.
“On this day, Veterans Day, we are commemorating the service of veterans of all wars,” DeFriest said. “We remember how men and women set aside their civilian pursuits to serve their nation’s cause, defending the freedom of mankind and preserving our precious American heritage. We believe our strength on the field of battle, on the supply lines which nourished our armed might, lay in the justice of our cause against the forces of evil. We believe our determination made us better warriors because we fought with our minds and our hearts, as well as our bodies.”
He added: “We recognize service to our country and her cause does not end with the termination of military service. We continue our endeavors on behalf of an honorable world peace, with a feeling of profound gratitude to God and to the men and women who gave their lives as their part of the cost of the noblest of causes. Out of blood and sweat, we learned that purpose, sacrifice, tolerance, bravery, and discipline, these are solid foundation stones upon which a great nation is built. In our continuing quest for an honorable world peace, we must cultivate these virtues.”
Sanders also discussed freedom. “Freedom is a word we utilize so easily, so quickly that it just falls right off of our lips — but how often do we actually think about it, and the sacrifices that were made to have the freedom that we have today?”
He discussed the freedom that Americans have, to vote.
And for those that didn’t vote, Sanders reminded the group gathered of the dangers America faces, not just from afar, but from a “new enemy, sophisticated thinkers from within.”
Sanders thanked the veterans “who gave me the freedom to speak freely. . . We live in America where we are able to have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom to be able to say what you think, even if it ticks off someone else in your neighborhood. We have the freedom in the United States because of what these men and women have done for us.”
Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell also addressed the crowd: “We are here to answer one question and to think about one word: How? We had free and fair elections, just a few days ago. We got to pick those who are going to help lead us in the level of government we chose. How? We get to pursue what makes us happy. How? We get to speak our minds. How? We get to enjoy the fruits of our labor. How? Ultimately, the people that have raised their hands, that have stepped forward, that have shown the bravery and the commitment to protect us, to protect this nation. That answers the question, ‘How?'”
He added: “We have another ‘how’ to answer. How do we thank them? How do we show our gratitude? We come together each November to say thank you to all the veterans, those who served in peace, in war, in battle, and those who didn’t come home. That’s how we thank them. We also have to remember that each and every day, there are 16 million veterans living among us. Today is not enough. We need to thank them each and every day.”
Russell thanked all the veterans “with a deep appreciation, a love and a respect that I hope you know that this nation feels.”
And, Russell said: “We live in a democracy by design. How are we able to maintain it, when so few countries can? The answer to ‘how’ is all the brave veterans who stepped forward and answered the call. The bravery, the courage, and the deep commitment to defending this nation. And how we can show them our deep gratitude is to come together today, on Veterans Day, to honor them and to honor them every day with kind words and acts. Saying ‘thank you,’ being there when they need us — just like they were there when we needed them. Most of all, to carry the message forward to future generations, so they know how we have the joy of living in this great nation.”
Suffolk County Legislator and newly elected Southold Town supervisor Al Krupski also spoke: “It is so important to have the youth here, because they need to understand that what we have today wasn’t done lightly — and it wasn’t done easily.”
Krupski said watching the news that morning, he was encouraged by the coverage of all the Veterans Day celebrations taking place and the enthusiasm of those participating, events held to remember and thank “the men and women who have served our country. I thought that was a really positive thing that this effort that people have put in, is not forgotten.”
He was also encouraged, Krupski said, to see his neighbor’s signs of all the family members who have served the nation. “I really applaud that effort,” he said. “It’s good to be reminded that so many people have made that commitment.” Right down his road, lives a woman who came from another country decades ago, and who became an American citizen in her 80s. “She was so proud,” he said. “And it really made me feel good, that somebody would make that effort in her 80s. But it was so important to her, because of what this country stands for, for her to do that.”
A member of the Legion’s auxiliary also spoke before the ceremony ended — and all veterans were invited to share a lunch, and memories, of their legacy of service.
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