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Route 110 upgrades coming Page 2 VOL. 112 NO. 27
Celebrating America’s 250th
Local scholars in the news
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JULY 29 - AUGUST 4, 2026
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VFW plans new memorial Merrimac at the entrance to Santiago Harbor, Cuba, on June 2, 1898. The Clausen Massapequa Park’s Veter- monument was dedicated by ans of Foreign Wars Sgt. Peter Massapequa Elks Lodge No. F. Colleran Jr. Post 7763 is 2162 on Veterans Day in 1964. The two new monuments moving forward with plans to create a new memorial honor- will be installed several yards ing veterans of the wars in south of the existing memorial Afghanistan and Iraq, with and connected by a circular construction expected to begin walkway paved with engraved commemorative bricks. in September. The estimated $26,000 projThe project calls for two ect will be funded granite monuprimarily through ments and a circuthe sale of the lar pathway of bricks. Each 6-byengraved bricks to 9-inch engraved be installed on the brick will cost $250 Clausen Park triand may honor an angle at the interindividual veteran, section of Park family or other Boulevard and VICTOR CRESPO “hero.” Donations Lakeshore Drive. of any amount are O n e m o n u m e n t Vice Commander also being acceptwill commemorate Post 7763. ed. Operation EndurThe memorial was coning Freedom in Afghanistan, while the other will honor ceived by Victor Crespo, a Operation Iraqi Freedom, both Vietnam War veteran and vice military campaigns launched commander of Post 7763. Crespo said veterans who in the aftermath of the Sept. served in Afghanistan and 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Post leaders hope to com- Iraq are often overlooked plete the project in time for a despite their sacrifices. “These are the forgotten dedication ceremony in late veterans,” he said. “Everyone October. The new memorial will seems to have forgotten their complement the existing mon- sacrifices and what they did to ument honoring U.S. Navy protect our country. That’s Coxswain Claus Kristian Clau- why these monuments are so sen, a Medal of Honor recipi- important to us at VFW Post ent recognized for his heroism 7763, especially since there are during the sinking of the USS CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
By MIKE POLANSKY
Senior Correspondent
Courtesy of Massapequa Coast Little League
The Massapequa Coast Little League 11-year-old New York State Little League Champions.
T
hese are the forgotten veterans.
The All-Massapequa team vying for the Regional Championships in the hope of heading to California to play in the World Series in California
Little Leaguers win championships By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com Massapequa’s Coast Little League’s 11and 12-year-old teams brought back state championships from Williamsport, Pennsylvania with a 14-4 Victory over Saratoga Springs Little League July 22. “They (the players) put in a lot of work; they worked hard for this,” said the team’s manager Jason Wasser. “Everyone contributed; it was a true team effort.” The victory didn’t come easy, however.
During the first game of the tournament, the team’s starting pitcher went down with an injury. “He was unable to play the rest of it and the boys had to step up, and move some positions around,” said Wasser. “That was definitely not the plan but as a result of everyone contributing, we did very well.” The team lost the first game of the tournament and then took 12 in a row. “During the tournament we were six outs away from being eliminated and had CONTINUED ON PAGE 11