By William Fitzpatrick
Residents of New Hyde Park gathered on Saturday to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom.
The Village of New Hyde Park held its Memorial Day parade in memory of the 56 men from the area who lost their lives while serving in various wars.
“There’s no greater sacrifice that anybody could give,” said Mayor Lawrence Montreuil. “To think that a lot of these young men just barely put their caps and gowns aside from high school and picked up uniforms … I just pray that we never add another name to that list.”
The parade began at 10 a.m. on the corner of Lakeville Road and Jericho Turnpike with its first stop made at Village Hall. A ceremony was held there to honor three men from New Hyde Park who were killed during the Korean War: Cpl. Norman Weidy, Sgt. Kurk Hoffman and Pvt. Robert Deutsch. A new plaque was added to the rock monument in front of Village Hall as a way to thank them for their service.
“This year the American Legion installed the plaque honoring the Korean War veterans and their conflict,” Montreuil said. “That’s why those names were called out but the ceremony is also to honor all 56.”
From there, the parade continued north along New Hyde Park Road, turning onto Lincoln Avenue and concluding at Memorial Park, where a second ceremony was held.
This year’s parade happened after New Hyde Park lost its Veterans of Foreign Wars post just over a month ago due to declining enrollment and difficulty attracting younger veterans. Despite the post disbanding, Mayor Montreuil says the members remain active in the community.
“The individuals are around … many of them have just joined in with the American Legion,” said Montreuil. “The VFW, the American Legion, they have established a fantastic tradition here in New Hyde Park and it’s very important we keep that going. We hate to see the VFW disband as a group but the individuals that remain are still with us.”
