__________________ SEAFORD _________________
HERALD School supply drive needs help
Local Girl Scouts earn Gold Award
Meet Seaford’s new Eagle Scout
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VOL. 74 NO. 31
JULY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2026
$1.00
Honor Flight L.I. vets are set to reunite ans, their guardians and families may attend at no cost, while members of the public may More than five decades after attend for free from 10:30 a.m. to m a n y V i e t n a m v e t e r a n s noon. The May 2 flight included 41 returned home without the recognition and appreciation given Vietnam veterans, along with to earlier generations of service one World War II veteran and four Korean War members, Honor veterans. During Flight Long Island the one-day trip, vetis continuing its mission to provide erans visited the them with the welWorld War II, Korecome they deserved. an and Vietnam On Aug. 1, 46 War memorials, Long Island veterArlington National ans who participatCemetery, the Air ed in the organizaForce Memorial, tion’s May 2 Honor Navy Memorial and Flight to Washingother landmarks in ton, D.C., will Washington. reunite at the AmerAccording to ican Airpower Honor Flight Long Museum in FarmIsland President Bill ingdale to reflect on Jones, the trip was their experience about more than and receive com- BILL JONES visiting monuments memorative Tribute President, Honor — it was about honJournals document- Flight Long Island oring veterans ing their journey. whose service was Among those who not always recogtook part was Levittown resi- nized when they returned home. dent John Strong, a Vietnam “What this flight really repreWar Army veteran who served sented was a ‘big hug’ to all our as a Specialist 4th Class. veterans from Honor Flight, The free reunion event will their families and supporters,” be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jones said. Hangar 3 at the museum, locatJones said one of the most ed at 1230 New Highway. Veter-
By HUNTER FENOLLOL
hfenollol@liherald.com
Courtesy the Office of Councilman Chris Schneider
Local officials joined veterans onstage at the Town of Hempstead’s annual Salute to Veterans event. Charles Wroblewski, center right, was the recipient of the Veterans Service Award.
Seaford veteran’s lifetime of service earns Town of Hempstead honor By HUNTER FENOLLOL hfenollol@liherald.com
For nearly six decades, Charles Wroblewski has answered the call to serve. Whether wearing the uniform of a U.S. Army soldier, investigating cases as an FBI agent or comforting fellow veterans as chaplain of American Legion Post 1132, the lifelong Seaford resident has built a life centered on helping others. Earlier this month, the Town of Hempstead recognized that commitment by presenting Wroblewski with its Veterans Service Award at the town’s annual Salute to Veterans event at Town Park in Point Lookout. “I was surprised,” Wroblewski, 84, said. “It means that maybe I did accomplish what I wanted to do, and that is helping others.” Town Councilman Chris Schneider, who nominated Wroblewski for the award, said the choice was an easy one. “Charlie never stops serving others,” Schneider said. “He’s heavily involved with the Seaford American Legion and devoted countless hours to helping his fellow veterans, raising awareness and educating the community, and other important service projects. He was a natural choice for me.” Although the award recognizes his
decades of volunteer work, Wroblewski said he had a desire to serve long before he returned to Seaford after retiring from the FBI in 2005. Drafted into the Army in 1966, he served with the Staff Judge Advocate’s Office at Camp Red Cloud, in South Korea, during the Vietnam War. While stationed overseas, he said, he volunteered at local orphanages, which opened his eyes to the hardships many people faced. “We used to go and visit the orphanages with the little kids,” he recalled. “It was an exposure to life that I never had before. I think it gave me a sense of what a great country we live in. Maybe that’s one of the reasons when I came back, I wanted to help others, because I saw how bad it was.” Following his military service, Wroblewski spent nearly four decades with the FBI, serving in field offices across the country before finishing his career overseeing hiring for the bureau. Each assignment, he said, reinforced the value of compassion and public service. “My whole life experience made me care for others,” he said. “I’d rather do something for others than for myself.” When he retired, Wroblewski returned to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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hat’s incredibly meaningful for our Vietnam veterans, who were not welcomed home back in the ’60s and ’70s.
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