Honoring one of Suffolk County’s own
American Legion Post 281 Commander Dave Clark raising a flag Tuesday in front of the legion hall in the Center. The flag was lowered and will be taken to Hawaii for the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which will be remembered next week. From left, Mr. Clark, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Tom Ronayne, Suffolk County Veteran Service Agency director.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone visited Shelter Island Tuesday afternoon for a flag raising ceremony.
Mr. Bellone presented a flag to Island American Legion Commander Dave Clark who raised it on the flagpole in front of the legion hall in the Center. It was soon lowered and Mr. Bellone will give the flag to the captain of the USS Michael Murphy in Hawaii as part of the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The same flag was raised in all 10 Suffolk County towns on Tuesday.
Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy (SEAL) was a Patchogue, Suffolk County resident who was killed in the line of duty on June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The ship, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was launched in 2011 and is based at Pearl Harbor.
The somber ceremony took place in a pouring rain and then the flag was lowered and ceremoniously folded on the porch of the legion hall.
