State Senate awards Queens Vets

For the 138th year, St Albans (VA) Hospital hosted an awards ceremony to honor local veterans. This year’s event was sponsored by State Senators Serphin R. Maltese and Malcolm A. Smith, who were joined by Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer and representatives for other local elected officials.
It had all the obligatory pomp and circumstance; the Queens County American Legion Color Guard, a demonstration of precision drill by Cadets Juan Tavares and Noel Quinones from Franklin K. Lane High School Junior Air Force ROTC, the National Anthem and “God Bless America” sung by Mr. Paul Fabrizi and benediction by Reverend Philip T. Sica.
About a hundred people, mostly family members and a handful of veterans, gathered in the Auditorium of the VA Hospital, on Thursday May 25, to hear the reading of the names of 300 veterans in recognition of their service to the nation, often many decades after the fact – all but 21 names were followed by the word, “posthumous.”
The long memory of the military was made clear early in the evening, when an elderly Helen J. Bidwell slowly made her way to the stage to accept a Presidential Memorial Certificate on behalf of her father, PFC Albert J. Bidwell, a member of the Peace Commission Guard during the First World War.
A few moments later, Jennie Stuart accepted posthumous medals for two of her brothers, who served in World War II. Still later, Marie Rummel accepted a Presidential Memorial Certificate on behalf of her husband, Private William A. Rummel, who was killed in action September 9, 1944.
Yet the spirit of the event was one of pride, not gloom. This was most apparent for the four Korea and Vietnam era veterans who not only received long delayed medals and certificates, but also their high school diplomas.
Former US Army Spec. 5 Albert E. Scott of Woodhaven got all the way back to his seat only to find he had been given the wrong envelope. In a few moments, awards were exchanged, and after 40 years, Mr. Scott officially became an alumnus of Grover Cleveland High School.
Edward F. Smith, now residing in Plainview, LI and a Korean War vet, had the sensation of being taken completely by surprise. “I had no idea this was going to happen” he gushed as he received the New York State Medal for Merit, several service medals and his diploma from Grover Cleveland. “My daughter Laura set the whole thing up and dragged me here – I had no idea.”
The other two new graduates, Allan M. Dorman of Ronkonkoma, LI, and Joseph P. Martello, Jr. of Baldwin, LI, were equally proud. Martello, who turns 58 this month, beamed, “This is the best birthday present I could get.”
Pat Toro, president of the Queens chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, took the opportunity to announce that the park being created on the former site of the famous “Elmhurst Gas Tanks,” would contain the first monument to all of the 450 Queens residents who died in the Vietnam War. “There are little local monuments” he observed, “but this is the only one dedicated only to them all.”