At veterans’ get-together, music, memories and appreciation

Celebrating veterans was the mission Tuesday evening for a group of vets and family members who gathered at Riverhead Free Library to share thoughts and memories of their military service.

Hosted by Riverhead veteran James Lee and librarian Laura LaSita, the gathering drew veteran representation from nearly every war and conflict in which the nation has called its military to service in the past 60 years.

Conversation got started with Councilman John Dunleavy, a U.S. Navy veteran who enlisted in 1957 and served aboard the USS Essex aircraft carrier. Though he served during peacetime, he vividly recalls the day he lost his best friend, who was swept overboard “when a jet came in too fast,” he said.

People don’t realize what a veteran may be going through inside, Dunleavy said, having seen things during their service they will never forget as long as they live.

“Kids today are coming back with their brains messed up,” the councilman said. “How could they not be? They’re living here in peace and they go there to fight an enemy that wants to maim, not kill. They want to maim people. So these kids see things that stay with them.”

Wilkens Young, director of Suffolk County United Veterans Services, said he works on a daily basis with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It interferes with their ability to live a normal life, he said. His mission is to rescue homeless veterans.

“I’m proud to be a veteran, proud to have served my country,” Young said. “Every time I get a homeless vet off the street, every time I clothe one, feed one, help one… there is no greater reward in life,” Young said.

Decorated World War II veteran Joseph Guiliano was there with his wife of 63 years, Marie. Guiliano, who was profiled by RiverheadLOCAL in November 2014, remained true to his reputation as a man of few words. Asked to share his thoughts, Guiliano said simply, “It sure does bring back all the memories.”

Guiliano’s memories include being drafted into the Army when he turned 18, right after he left the Brooklyn orphanage where he grew up. He was injured in the Battle of Luzon in the Phillipines in January 1945. After taking schrapnel in the shoulder and skull, he spent months in Army hospitals, fighting infections and gangrene. Guiliano’s Purple Heart is framed and hanging on the living room wall in the couple’s Glenwood Village home, where they have lived since 1997.

Guiliano, who turns 91 in December, relies in a walker after suffering a stroke three years ago. His neighbor James Lee, a VFW member, told the Guiliano family about home care services provided by the Veterans Administration.

“It’s been a godsend,” the veteran’s daughter said.

Lee, a Korean War veteran, said one of the benefits of belonging to a veterans group like the VFW is staying informed about services available to veterans.

Gulf War veteran Brian Smith, also a member of the Riverhead VFW post, had high praise for medical care provided by the VA hospital in Northport, where he said he underwent successful cancer surgery this summer.

“They were fantastic and it’s a fantastic resource,” Smith said of the VA hospital.

Laurel Sisson, of Riverhead, recounted some of the military experiences of her late husband Paul, who was stationed in the Pacific when the U.S. tested the first hydrogen bomb in 1952.

“He was 100 miles away. They gave them special glasses to wear to protect their eyes. He said when the bomb was detonated, at night, the barracks walls shook and it became light as day,” Sisson said. “It changed his life.” Turning to the veterans in the audience of about 16 people, she said, “We are all grateful for everything you’ve done.”

Pianist Danny Keyes played patriotic music. LaSita distributed lyrics to standards like “America the Beautiful” and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and people in the audience sang along.

“We just wanted to provide a place and a time for veterans and their families to get together, share memories and know that they are appreciated and cared for,” LaSita said.