More war memorials planned at Legion Hall
Shelter Island’s Legionnaires are in the process of expanding the war memorials at Legion Hall.
Members of Mitchell Post 281 voted on December 13 to establish criteria for honoring recent combat veterans on a new rock outside the hall and to create a memorial plaque for eligible Island veterans who served in past conflicts but were not listed on the WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam rocks.
The new rock will list the names of veterans serving in specific combat periods from 1982 to present, which include conflicts in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.
The Mitchell Post donated the Legion Hall property to the town of Shelter Island in 2008 but retained use of the basement and the Memorial Garden in front. Legion members are funding the new memorials — “not a penny of taxpayer money is going into the project,” said Commander Mike Loriz. Peder Larsen donated the new rock and it was installed by the Gene Shepherd family.
The 57 millimeter WWII-era canons in front of the hall will be refurbished; South Ferry will provide the sandblasting, led by Cliff Clark, and new paint will be paid for by Howard Jackson. Sidewalks and a lighting system are also planned for the Memorial Garden.
Mr. Loriz described the project as “a perfect meld of military mission and Island community effort.”
Over the course of four meetings, Legionnaires debated the criteria for being included on the new rock or on the plaque covering all past combat eras. Veteran Dorothy Bloom suggested adding the memorial plaque in the basement and adding later-arriving vets who may not have lived on the Island when the rock memorials for their tours were established.
Veterans already listed on a rock need not worry — the existing rocks will not change. Applicants for the new rock or the memorial plaque should write the Legion by January 15, 2011 and include their discharge documentation. Address applications to Mitchell Post, PO Box 2021, Shelter Island, NY 11964. The Legion will update the memorials on a five-year schedule.
