Roger Levy, a Great Neck resident of 33 years who died Jan. 26, did not have just one military order honor him at his funeral Sunday, but four.
Representatives of the Old Guard of the City of New York, Veterans Corps of Artillery of the State of New York, 9th New York Field Artillery Regiment, the American Legion and the Knights Templar all appeared at Levy’s military funeral, honoring a man who was a member of not only all of these organization, but was also a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel.
Ellen Levy, Roger Levy’s wife, was with her husband for 43 years until his death. She said that the ceremony was beautiful and unbelievable at the same time.
“When you have a military funeral, and you are presented with the American flag, that is something you will never forget,” Levy said. “I have my father’s flag too and it’s still in the showcase – it’s such a beautiful thing.”
Roger Levy died at 71 due to a heart-related illness.
Ellen Levy said all she wants is for the organizations that came to the funeral to be recognized. She said she wants people to know that the chapel where the funeral took place was full of soldiers.
“I just want an acknowledgment of the service,” Ellen Levy said. “I don’t even care if you put [her husband’s] name in there, I just want the organizations to be recognized.”
Jim Whalen, who is the Commanding Officer of the 11th New York Regiment, which helps put together the military funerals, was also a close friend of Roger Levy.
Whalen said that while the two-person flag fold standard at military funerals is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the 11th Regiment funds the firing party and a bugler.
“We’re a non-funded volunteer organization,” Whalen said. “We work pro-bono – totally people’s generosity.”
Whalen said Levy served in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, a military branch that does vehicle maintenance and supports the troops with transport.
“He was a proud patriot,” Whalen said. “He loved the military.”
Whalen said the 11th regiment does the military funeral service upon request, and serves Nassau County as well as Suffolk County, Queens and Brooklyn.
Elliot Rosenblatt, whose daughter went to school with Levy’s daughter, said each of the organizations did a special presentation, and the whole ceremony lasted more than an hour and a half.
Rosenblatt said the room at Riverside-Nassau North Chapel was packed full of people.
“It was a very moving event. They had a color guard and someone playing the bagpipes,” Rosenblatt said.
He said he saw ranks of full colonels there, and everyone was in dress uniforms to honor one of their own.
“He was friendly – a very outgoing person,” Rosenblatt said of Levy. “It was always nice to get together with him.”
