The attack on the Navy base at Pearl Harbor that launched the U.S. into World War II may have happened 75 years ago, but the Village of Mineola has not forgotten those who fought in the global conflict.
In a room filled with veterans, Mineola officials honored three World War II veterans from the village at last Wednesday’s Village Board meeting, held on the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.
The veterans, Edward Solosky, Ray Vaz and Tom Scardino, received proclamations from the village.
“We as a community will never forget your sacrifices, we will never forget your friendship, we will never forget and we will forever remember what you and your brothers and sisters in battle have done for our country and for our families,” village Mayor Scott Strauss said. “You truly are the greatest generation.”
Solosky, a lifelong Mineola resident, graduated from Mineola High School in 1942 and entered the U.S. Army in 1943.
He served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Solosky fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the European theater. After the war, he worked at Grumman Aerospace as a mechanic and raised his family.
Vaz left Mineola High School during his junior year to join the U.S. Army. He participated in the D-Day assault on Utah Beach on the Normandy coast of France on June 6, 1944.
He was wounded twice, both times having to go to a hospital and both times returning to the field.
Vaz rejoined his company and was among the first American troops to liberate the Nazi concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany.
He received two Purple Hearts for his wounds and the Bronze Star for his achievements in combat.
Scardino served in the 90th Infantry Division on Utah Beach on D-Day.
He received two Purple Hearts for injuries he sustained in his hand and legs and the Bronze Star for his acts of heroism in battle.
Scardino remains an active part of his community by attending the Mineola High School Alumni Senior Awards Breakfast, where he presents an award to each graduating student on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
More than 2,400 Americans were killed when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. There were more than 3,500 total casualties.
After the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the U.S. in World War II, fighting with European allies against the “Axis powers” of Germany, Italy and Japan.
“The Battle of Midway in June of 1942 and, of course, D-Day in June of 1944 are just two examples of how Americans and the Allied soldiers pushed back the Axis powers against enormous odds,” said Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira, a social studies teacher at Mineola Middle School. “How? To put it simply, because of men and women like those that stand here with us today.”
Scardino said he was honored by the recognition from his community, but is concerned that the history of World War II will eventually fade in the eyes of younger generations.
He believes the best way to keep the history alive is through education, he said.
“We appreciate it because we [World War II veterans] are a dying breed and when you think about it, when our generation found out that there was no actual facts about World War I, nobody was interested in them,” Scardino said. “PATV [Public Access TV] in Great Neck has an education program. The vets go up there for 15 minutes and tell their story of how they got in service and what they did. That’s the right way.”
