Looking back on World War I commemoration a century ago, Riverhead thanks its veterans

For a century now, the townsfolk of Riverhead have gathered at the granite monument bearing a bronze tablet on which are engraved the 304 names of Riverhead men who served their country in the Great War, which we now know as World War I.

They were soldiers, sailors, marines, Red Cross ambulance drivers, YMCA volunteers and civilian Army specialist employees. Their surnames are familiar to locals to this day: Boden, Cheshire, Conklin, Danowski, Downs, Edwards, Fanning, Hallock, Howell, Hulse, Kratoville, Lane, Linnen, Prusinowski, Reeve, Sendlewski, Tuthill, Wells, Young. The familiarity is a testament to the small-town nature of this town, still, a century later — though it’s grown from a population of 5,753 people in 1920 to about 35,000 today.

Nine of the men whose names are inscribed on the “honor roll” plaque never came home. Four were killed in action or died as a result of battle wounds: Van Rensselaer Skidmore of Jamesport, for whom the Riverhead VFW post is named, was killed in action in June 1918. Anton Zakas, also from Jamesport, was killed in action in October 1918. George Tuthill of Jamesport, died in February 1919 of wounds received in battle in October 1918. Joseph Boncyzk of Riverhead was killed in action.

Five others — Everett Benjamin, Clifford Bess, Cornelius Keenan, John Haupt and Charles Chituck, died of influenza. Just over 100 years ago, another deadly pandemic was raging across the globe. (Judge Thomas Stark records this history in his book, “Riverhead: The Halcyon Years 1861-1919,” Maplewood Press, 2005.)

The massive granite block — 5 1/2 by 6 feet — was purchased by the town in the fall of 1919 from Frank H. Hill & Bros. for $405 and the bronze tablet was the work of J.W. Fiske Co. purchased by the town at a cost of $418, according to town board minutes. The monument was initially erected on the northwest corner of Griffing Avenue and West Main Street, on the front lawn of the Suffolk County Historical Society. (It was relocated six years later to its current site on the corner of West Main and Court streets, on a parcel donated to the historical society by Alice Perkins, where the museum was later built.)

The monument was unveiled with great fanfare on Memorial Day, 1920. A very special guest attended the unveiling and gave a speech to “an immense crowd,” according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Col. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., son of the late President Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt called the monument “perfectly splendid,” according to the newspaper report, and said he had “no idea Riverhead had such a large list of service men.”

“If the sacrifices made in the Revolutionary War, the Spanish War, the Civil War and the war just ended mean anything, they mean a heritage to all in the future, a responsibility on you and on me to see that what they did and what they fought for bears fruit and that the country gets what they fought for and that the country goes forward in the way they wished and hoped,” Roosevelt said, according to the report in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

There were many more wars still to be fought, despite the belief at the time that the “Great War” was “the war to end all wars.” Many additional local men and women would answer the call to duty in subsequent conflicts —and some would make the ultimate sacrifice.

At Veterans Day ceremonies today at the World War Monument, Riverhead VFW Post Commander Thomas Najdzion recalled the unveiling of the monument 100 years ago and the attendance of the very distinguished guest at that first ceremony.

The eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt and First Lady Edith Roosevelt, as a battalion commander, he led troops in the Utah Beach and Normandy landings in World War I.

Roosevelt also served as assistant secretary of the Navy, governor-general of the Philippines, governor of Puerto Rico and a New York State assemblyman.

He served in the reserves and in active duty during World War II, when in June 1944 he again led troops ashore at Utah Beach and Normandy.

“At 56, he was the oldest man deployed in the landings. He wanted to be with his men,” Najdzion said. One month later, Roosevelt died of a heart attack in France. He is buried there with his men, Najdzion said.

“Like his father, he was awarded the Medal of Honor,” Najdzion said.

“This is the man that dedicated our memorial. As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep the history alive,” Najdzion said.

Today’s ceremony was attended by Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar and the entire town board, along with members of the VFW, American Legion and the community at large.

Aguiar gave brief remarks commemorating the occasion. She urged all to “honor and thank our veterans for their service and commitment to our country…. Never forget their sacrifices to secure freedom and democracy for every American citizen.”

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti