Veterans

New Memorial Day Tradition Suggested: Hug Your Children!

May 28, 2019 by Inside Press

From Victory Corners to Memorial Plaza, a village gathered to enjoy Chappaqua’s 2019 Memorial Day parade and ceremonies

Article by Madeline Rosenberg Photos by Hannah Rosenberg

The echo of drums and bagpipes competed with the cheers of parade watchers who lined downtown Chappaqua for the 2019 Memorial Day Parade. Waving miniature American flags, residents and visitors honored the veterans and organizations* who proceeded down King Street. Chappaqua Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts were among the first groups to march down the hill, as they held American and troop number adorned flags. Some expressed that walking in the parade was an opportunity to present themselves to the community.“I love representing the troop because a lot of people don’t know we have a boy scout troop,” Thomas Macchetto, a troop member and Greeley senior, said before the parade began. “It’s fun to see everyone come together because you don’t see people like this very often.”

As these groups walked past seas of families and friends dressed in red, white and blue, parade marshals, as well as federal, state and local officials followed them, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, ‘first neighbors’ who made their annual parade day appearance.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein, and board members Lisa Katz, Ivy Pool and Jeremy Saland joined the Clintons in the procession, as did State Assemblyman David Buchwald and state Senator Peter Harckham, and area clergy including Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester. Clapping and waving parade watchers greeted them. (Editor’s Note: A tiny group of hecklers found their voices dimmed by the crowds so enthusiastically greeting those in the procession.)
Please also visit: https://www.facebook.com/theinsidepress/ for additional coverage and footage of Memorial Day 2019 in Chappaqua

Organizations spanning from the Chappaqua School Board and Library to AYSO and Town of New Castle Senior Citizens also participated in the event, along with veterans who paraded in military vehicles. Parade watchers saw no shortage of students in the procession, as the Greeley, middle school and elementary school bands each performed patriotic songs, which became the background for the First Responders who followed them, trucks included.

Student and adult volunteers from the Chappaqua and Millwood Fire Departments and the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and officers of the New Castle Police Department, all marched in their uniforms reminding parade watchers of the importance of honoring those who serve, beyond Memorial Day.

But the presence of veterans and the town’s first responders was not the only reminder of the importance of service or the holiday’s meaning. As the parade finished at the train station, attendees gathered around officials, veterans and girl scouts for the Memorial Plaza Ceremony.

Chappaqua resident and Captain Peter Gaudet led the ceremony for the first time, which included biographies of New Castle World War II veterans, in a recognition of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.** Along with recognizing the dignitaries and veterans present at the ceremony, Guaudet asked parents to hug their children as part of a new tradition.

“A lot of us veterans have friends that can’t hug their children because they didn’t make it back — gave the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

A keynote address was made by U.S. Army Veteran Captain Jonathan Luttwak,*** who served in Iraq and Kuwait.

Continuing to honor those who served, Luttwak reminded attendees in his speech that Memorial Day represents more than a time to barbeque and celebrate with friends and family, but a day to pay tribute to those who died while serving in the armed forces.

“Today we continue that tradition and pause together to pay our respects to our fallen hero,” Luttwak told the audience. “We honor their sacrifice. We honor their selflessness, their patriotism and the legacy of service they leave behind.”

Madeline Rosenberg is a senior at Horace Greeley High School where she was a section editor for The Greeley Tribune. She will be attending Cornell University in the fall.

Hannah Rosenberg is a photography intern at Inside Press and a senior at Horace Greeley High School where she was a photo editor for The Greeley Tribune. She will be attending Cornell University in the fall.

Captain Peter Gaudet and Christine Maffucci

Additional Info from the Town of New Castle:

*The procession proceeded as follows: New Castle police escort; Color Guard of Chappaqua Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts; Parade Marshals; Dignitaries-Federal, New York State, Westchester County, Town of New Castle Board, Justices and Officials, and Clergy; Chappaqua School Board and Chappaqua Library Board; The Kerry Pipers; World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans, NY Guard, Gold Star Mothers, and Military Vehicles; 5th New York Regiment-Revolutionary War Squad; Parade of Historic Flags; Town of New Castle Senior Citizens; Horace Greeley High School Band; Chappaqua Girl Scouts, Brownies and Daisy Troops; Robert E. Bell School Band, Chappaqua Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts; Community Organizations; Chappaqua Elementary Schools Band; American Youth Soccer Organization; Chappaqua Pre-School Parents Association; Seven Bridges Middle School Board; Town of New Castle Fire Commissioners; Chappaqua and Millwood Fire Companies; Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps; and town of New Castle Police Escort.

** World War II Veteran Biographies compiled by David Egerton; read by Chappaqua Girl Scouts Troop 2576: Private William Viscomi, U.S. Army, 4th Armored Division-read by Christine Maffucci. Sargent Peter J. Lynch, U.S. Army 78th Division-read by Emma Grace Jorgensen. Following these readings was The Honor Roll of the New Castle War Dead

*** Mr. Luttwak is the founder and CEO of DHC Real Estate Services, a certified service-disabled veteran owned business. Founded on the belief that real estate is the ‘where’ that enables all we do as a nation, DHC is a full-service commercial real estate firm that combines the successful execution of real estate strategies with a sense of purpose and exceptional service to its clients. A seasoned real estate professional, withmore than ten years of transactional experience, Mr. Luttwak has worked with many of the world’s most demanding enterprises and completed numerous real estate transactions worldwide. Hisreputation for delivering value and unrivaled customer service was honed during more than a decade at Cushman & Wakefield, where Mr. Luttwak worked in the New York City headquarters alongside the Chairman of Global Brokerage. Prior to entering the private sector, Jonathan served six years as a United States Army officer reaching the grade of captain. He qualified through Airborne and Air Assault school and deployed to Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror. Mr. Luttwak is deeply tied into the community professionally and personally. He is the Vice President of the West Point Society of New York and an officer on the Board of the West Point Jewish Chapel Fund. He is also an active contributor to numerous charitable organizations and passionate supporter of initiatives that serve to better the veteran and active military community. Mr Luttwak earned his Bachelors of Science undergraduate degree in systems engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Columbia Business School with concentration in real estate.

14 Resident Veterans Honored at the Bristal

December 2, 2018 by Grace Bennett

Bristal Assisted Living at Armonk, an assisted and independent living community, celebrated Veterans Day honoring a group of 14 residents who served in the military. State, county and town officials joined the ceremony, commending the veterans for their courage and service.

North Castle Town Supervisor Michael Schiliro, on behalf of the North Castle town board stated: “Your bravery is like that recently witnessed by first responders going into the wildfires of California. It’s no different than what all of you did for all of us so many years ago, and we just can’t thank you enough.”

Honoring veterans at the Bristal (L-R) North Castle Supervisor Michael Schiliro; State Assemblyman David Buchwald; North Castle Councilwoman Barbara DiGiacinto; North Castle Councilman Jose Berra; North Castle Councilman Steve D’Angelo;The Bristal at Armonk Executive Director Samantha Krieger; County Legislator Margaret Cunzio; and U.S. Navy Veteran Stephen Smith representing the Byram Veterans Association. Photos By Grace Bennett

State Assemblyman David Buchwald noted, “Your service is inspiring to the entire community. This day is about each of you and the men and women you served with. I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for anything.”

County Legislator Margaret Cunzio presented an American flag that had been flown in a search and rescue helicopter. It was given to her by a cousin, a Major in the Air Force who had recently returned from service in Afghanistan. A second cousin, she also noted proudly, is a lieutenant colonel who served five tours of duty.

“He (the Major) was in Syria last year, and had just returned home to his nine month old baby girl and three- year- old son. There’s a video of him coming home and his son saying: “That’s my daddy. My daddy’s home. My daddy’s safe.”

“I am honored and proud to display this flag,” she said.

Reflecting on Chappaqua’s 2018 Memorial Day Parade…

May 29, 2018 by Julia Bialek

It was such a beautiful day in our country and our community. Community members took a break from their picnics, left their barbeques, and joined together in town to celebrate Memorial Day at the annual parade and ceremony. As the Memorial Day parade began, hundreds of community members lined the streets of downtown Chappaqua to watch the procession move down the hill.

Vets and residents alike enjoyed a pre-parade, open house breakfast (bagels and coffee for all!) organized by Veronica Ribeiro (in the jean jacket) and Signy Schroeter Klein (left) outside Ribeiro’s house at the bottom of Ridgewood Terrace; here with the U.S. Army’s Chuck Schroedel and Joanne Clarke.

Among the participants in the parade were Federal, New York State, and Westchester County Dignitaries, World War II, Vietnam War, and Iraq-Afghanistan War Veterans, the Chappaqua Girl Scouts, Brownies, and Daisy Troops, the Chappaqua and Millwood Fire Companies, the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the school bands, and other community organizations. The community-wide event epitomized what Chappaqua stands for, as it captured the diversity, talent, and pure energy of our town.* Bill and Hillary Clinton, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and more region and town board representatives marched in a row behind Grand Marshal Captain James McCauley who has been leading the parade for nearly 20 years.

PHOTOS BY HANNAH ROSENBERG

As the parade ended, the crowd made its way towards the Chappaqua Train Station where the Memorial Plaza Ceremony was held. Here, the entire community came together to remember those who died bravely fighting for our country. Dogs barked at the sound of drums while they rolled in the grass, children waved their miniature American flags, and members of the crowd listened intently to the speakers of the afternoon. Some of the events included prayers being recited, the Horace Greeley High School Band beautifully playing the “Star Spangled Banner,” the reading of two New Castle World War II Veterans’ biographies by the Chappaqua Girl Scouts, the reading of the Honor Roll of the Town of New Castle War Dead, and a speech from Colonel John Graham. In Colonel John Graham’s speech, he reminded the town that Memorial Day is not Veterans Day, but rather a day to honor and remember the brave individuals who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom. “1.3 million Americans have given their lives in the 245 years since Lexington and Concord so that the rest of us can live free,” he said. “More often than not, these heroes have been ordinary citizens who answered the nation’s call when we needed them the most.” A sense of reverence could be felt emanating from the crowd of people in response to these remarks.

All across the country, the efforts of fallen soldiers will be remembered, their sacrifices will be appreciated, and their lives will be honored. As a nation, and as a community, we will celebrate the lives of those who fought for our country and perished protecting the sacred concept of freedom. In Chappaqua, community members from every walk of life—from the parents carrying their new-born infant in an American flag onesie, to Bill Clinton, a former President of the United States— made it a priority to come together and spend Memorial Day united as a town. Anyone who attended the parade and ceremony was able to gauge the values, passion, and love shared by our community members. Together, with our American flags and Chappaqua pride, we reflected on the important sacrifices that have been made by brave women and men whose names will forever be synonymous with “hero.”

*‘Behind the scenes there is a great deal of time and effort that goes into organizing the parade too, noted New Castle Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein. This year, a Memorial Day Committee included Peter Gaudet, Barbara Jenkel, David Egerton, Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Lori Townsend and Eric Rosenfeld, as well as Town Administrator Jill Shapiro and Ciara Gannon all of whom were instrumental, per the town of New Castle.

Our author finding a moment for a photo with Bill Clinton

Inside Press intern Julia Bialek is a rising senior at Horace Greeley High School where she is also the Managing Editor of the Greeley Tribune.

Additional photos by Hannah Rosenberg (HGHS ’19) for the Inside Press below and on Facebook’s Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk page):https://www.facebook.com/pg/theinsidepress/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156481813673669

Michael Finkelstein, M.D., (right) was on the Memorial Day Committee. Featured Speaker Col. John Graham is the former Chief Scientist of West Point and Managing Director of Campfire Capital.

Plastic Surgeon & Chappaqua Native Dr. Elan Singer Heals Soldiers and Helps Beautify New Yorkers

December 1, 2016 by Stacey Pfeffer

Listening to Dr. Elan Singer reminisce about his childhood growing up in Chappaqua, it is easy to appreciate how idyllic this town is. There were soccer games, bike rides into town to visit his mother’s store ICD Contemporary Jewelry and practices with the Greeley ski team. But more than anything he credits his time volunteering during his teenage years with the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CVAC) as setting him on his chosen career path as a preeminent plastic surgeon with an office in Manhattan and a recently opened practice at Radiance MedSpa on North Bedford Road in Mount Kisco.

Dr. Singer, a 1990 Greeley graduate joined CVAC as part of the youth corps when he was 16 and became an EMT when he was 17. “I carried a beeper around high school and my experience at CVAC was integral in helping me choose medicine as a career.”

A medical officer in the Navy Reserves, Dr. Singer spends one weekend a month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which is the largest American military hospital in the world. It treats all branches of the US military. “My reserve unit is actually very special because we are the only unit that does surgeries at Walter Reed on the weekends there.” During the month, Dr. Singer communicates with the active duty surgeons at Walter Reed about cases and when he goes down there, Dr. Singer helps offload some of the backload of cases that the active duty plastic surgeons aren’t able to get to. “It’s mostly elective surgeries now, so breast reduction or reconstruction but in years past, we had a lot of wounded warriors.”

All reservists are eligible to be mobilized to war-torn areas such as Iraq or Afghanistan. Most are mobilized for eight months. Some of his medical colleagues in the Reserves have been mobilized but Dr. Singer notes that other specialties such as orthopedics, anesthesia and neurosurgery are in higher demand overseas. “In plastic surgery, most of the work we do is highly specialized and needs a lot of infrastructure so that tends to take place here in the United States. We are dealing a lot with reconstruction so we see the same patients repeatedly for multiple surgeries.”

Dr. Singer likes the large complex surgeries that he performs on Reserve duty. But he’s equally skilled at performing elective cosmetic surgeries such as liposuction, skin rejuvenation services, facelifts and body contouring procedures on his patients in Manhattan and Westchester. He enjoys the diversity of surgeries that he gets to perform at Walter Reed and in his private practice.

Dr. Singer with his wife Dana and son Yonatan at Fleet Week

As a Reservist, Dr. Singer is required to spend two weeks a year performing plastic surgery as part of his commitment. His last two weeks of service was on the USNS Mercy, a large naval ship that went on a humanitarian mission to Asia in July where he performed several surgeries on Vietnamese civilians. He’s also served as a physician on the ships that station in NY Harbor during Fleet Week as part of his two-week commitment on Reserve duty.

In addition to the humanitarian mission that he did with the Reserves, Dr. Singer has also gone on civilian humanitarian missions to Haiti after the earthquake to perform pro-bono plastic surgery. As a chief resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center, he flew to Southern Nigeria to work on burn reconstruction patients. “Each one of these humanitarian medical missions “was unique and very eye-opening to me as a young surgeon.”

Dr. Elan Singer on a Humanitarian Medical Mission in Vietnam Pictured in the “N” Cap

Dr. Singer’s family connection to the military is quite extensive. His father was in the Navy as a doctor in the submarine service in the late 1960s. His mother was in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as a spokeswoman for the IDF to the foreign press, providing them with details at media briefings during the Six Day War. His grandfather was a physician in the army in France during WWII and landed six days after D-Day. “So I’m actually the third generation in the US Military as a physician in my family.”

Dr. Singer is looking forward to building his new practice in Mount Kisco. Although he currently resides in Manhattan with his wife and three young children, he enjoys coming up to his hometown to spend time with his parents and his children enjoy spending time outdoors in their grandparent’s backyard just as he did as a young boy.

Stacey Pfeffer lives with her husband and three young children in Chappaqua. She has written for New York Family Magazine, Westchester Parent, Westchester Family Magazine, Kveller.com and Inside Armonk.

Hillary Clinton: Trump Dishonors Vets & Reckless on National Security Issues

July 11, 2016 by Inside Press

From the Campaign:

“Donald Trump is set to give an address about veterans this afternoon in Virginia. Perhaps he should address his own record. Trump’s recklessness, his lack of knowledge on national security, and his thin-skinned temperament would make our country and our troops less safe. The few policy reforms his campaign has actually embraced, like moving toward privatizing the VA, would deprive our veterans of the unique support they need and deserve. And for literally decades, Trump has been treating our veterans with disdain, from a deluge of deeply offensive comments, to taking actions that directly targeted and damaged the lives of those who have served.

Take a look:

Trump’s Campaign Has Signaled He Wants To Privatize The VA, And Said He Opposed The Post-9/11 GI Bill

• WSJ: “While short on details, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee would likely push VA health care toward privatization and might move for it to become more of an insurance provider like Medicare rather than an integrated hospital system, said Sam Clovis, Mr. Trump’s chief policy adviser, in an interview.”

• POLL: 64% of veterans oppose privatization — with 54% of them strongly opposing it — while only 29% support it.

• Hillary Clinton: “We cannot and I will not put our vets at the mercy of private insurance companies without any coordination, or leave them to fend for themselves with health care providers who have no expertise in the unique challenges that are facing our veterans… Privatization is a betrayal, plain and simple, and I’m not going to let it happen.”

• Asked point-blank in May if he supported the Post-9/11 G.I., which has benefited over 700,000 veterans and their family members, Trump said no.

Trump Dishonored Iraq War Veterans By Repeatedly Praising Saddam Hussein

• Trump, 7/5/2016: “You know what [Saddam Hussein] did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn’t read them the rights. They didn’t talk. They were terrorists. It was over.”

• Trump, Dec. 2015: “Saddam Hussein throws a little gas, everyone goes crazy, ‘oh he’s using gas!… they go back, forth, it’s the same. And they were stabilized.”

• Trump, Jan. 2014: “Whether you like Saddam Hussein or not, he used to kill terrorists. Now if you go to Iraq, it’s like the Harvard for terrorists.”

• Washington Post Editorial: “Saddam Hussein was not ‘so good’ at killing terrorists, as Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed. On the contrary, he was one of the contemporary world’s foremost sponsors of terrorism. He harbored or funded some of history’s most infamous killers and jihadists, including the current chief of al-Qaeda, and plotted numerous terrorist attacks of his own, including an attempt to assassinate former president George H.W. Bush with a suicide bomb.”

• ABC News: Congressman and Iraq War Vet Blasts Trump’s Praise of Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein

Trump Broadly Attacked Troops Who Served In Iraq, Accusing Them Of Stealing Iraq Recovery Funds

• Trump: “Iraq, crooked as hell. How about bringing baskets of money, millions and millions of dollars, and handing it out? I want to know, who are the soldiers that had that job? Because I think they’re living very well right now, whoever they may be.”

• Weekly Standard: Trump: American Soldiers in Iraq Stole Money, ‘Living Very Well Right Now’

• Washington Free Beacon: Veterans Push Back at Trump Over Theft Accusations

• Iraq War Veteran: “Mostly, I’ve kept my thoughts about politics and social issues to myself. But…I felt compelled to speak out…. You see, during my tour in Iraq from 2009 to 2010, I was one of those whose job it was to hand out ‘baskets of money.’… I personally never took a dime. No one else from my team took anything, either.… Trump’s statement attacking not just my character but also that of all the men and women I had the honor of serving with was repugnant. These people had raised their right hands and sacrificed a year or more of their lives in one of the worst situations imaginable, all for their country…. It’s infuriating to hear a billionaire real estate mogul…speak so callously against a group of Americans whom he knows next to nothing about.”

Trump Insults Our Military

• Trump: “Our military is a disaster.”

• NYT: “Donald J. Trump, who received draft deferments through much of the Vietnam War, told the author of a coming biography that he nevertheless ‘always felt that I was in the military’ because of his education at a military-themed boarding school.”

• Trump on Armored Humvees: “If a bomb goes off our wounded warriors–instead of losing their legs, their arms, worse, they’re okay. They go for a little ride upward and they come down.”

Trump Businesses Have Fired Employees Because Of Their Military Service

• HuffPo: Trump Institute Fired Veteran For ‘Absences’ After He Was Deployed To Afghanistan

• CNN: Iraq war veteran claims Trump University fired her for serving in the Army Reserve

• HuffPo: Third Veteran Dumped By Trump Because Of Military Service

Trump Repeatedly Lied About Donations To Veterans Charities

• Washington Post: Here’s how we found out about Donald Trump’s phantom $1 million donation to vets

• Mother Jones’ Kevin Drum: “If character is supposed to be important in our presidents, this is evidence of the most contemptible kind of character imaginable. He tried to cheat a bunch of veterans!”

• CNN: Trump’s website boasts that he gave $1 million to the 1995 Nation’s Day Parade, but the event’s organizer said that’s nearly three times more than he actually gave.

Trump Scammed Veterans Through Trump University

• CNN [VIDEO]: 40-year Navy veteran scammed out of more than $26,000 by Trump University

• Ex-Marine: “[Trump University] was a con. I’m 25-years-old, barely making $3,000 a month and they told me to increase my credit limit. I just maxed out three credit cards and I’m supposed to be able to qualify for loans to buy real estate? Those stupid principles have led me to borrow $700,000 of other people’s money and lose it all. I’m still paying off some of that debt to this day.”

• TIME: “The records indicate, for example, that Trump University collected approximately $40 million from its students–who included veterans, retired police officers and teachers–and that Trump personally received approximately $5 million of it”

Trump Insults Prisoners Of War

• Trump on Sen. John McCain: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured, ok? I hate to tell you.”

• USA Today: McCain: Trump should apologize to POWs

• BuzzFeed: Trump: I Don’t Regret McCain Comments, My Poll Numbers Went Up

Trump Attempted To Kick Disabled Veterans Who Were Vendors Off The Street Across Two Decades

• 1991: Trump Letter to State Assemblyman John Dearie: “While disabled veterans should be given every opportunity to earn a living, is it fair to do so to the detriment of the city as a whole or its tax paying citizens and businesses?… Do we allow Fifth Ave., one of the world’s finest and most luxurious shopping districts, to be turned into an outdoor flea market, clogging and seriously downgrading the area?”

• 2004: Trump Letter to Mayor Bloomberg: “Whether they are veterans or not, they should not be allowed to sell on this most important and prestigious shopping street… I hope you can stop this very deplorable situation before it is too late.”