VFW Welcomes Disabled Vets
By Dan Guarino
On Saturday, August 17, Broad Channel’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Prince-Wynn Post #260 hosted a special outing for some 20-30 disabled vets from the veterans facility at St. Albans. The vets, each accompanied by a nurse, and many in wheelchairs, were treated to a lavish barbecue with everything from chicken kabobs to clams to prime rib in the post’s expansive, lush backyard facing out onto a wide-open Jamaica Bay.
As one veteran said, “The VFW, they do a heck of job. The food was as good as the view. Everybody there was great!”
“This is the first time they’ve been out since before Covid,” a VFW member explained, noting the go-ahead for the event just came on Wednesday, after a monthlong lockdown at St. Albans due to an uptick in the virus.
Smiles, lively chatter and joking with Post #260 volunteers were all in evidence from the guests who represented all branches of the service. The event, held from about 1 to 3 p.m., clearly lifted spirits. One of the nurses, who were also invited to the barbecue, stated, “They’re not like this at the hospital. They don’t talk, they don’t smile. But when they got off the bus today, they were smiling and clapping!”
VFW members also made sure each servicemember did not leave empty handed, as one explained. “We give them canteen books,” she said, showing booklets containing coupons of various dominations. “They can use them at the (St. Albans) commissary so they can buy snacks and things.”
A mainstay of the Broad Channel community, VFW Post #260 has a long history with the St. Albans home. Even after Hurricane Sandy submerged the island neighborhood and left it in shambles, members were so concerned for the vets that, unable to host them in BC, they organized what scant transportation there was to go and play games and provide them with company at St. Albans.
Though the Saturday afternoon event was “the first time they’ve been out since 2019,” VFW member Johnny Neuer said, “we usually get them warm sweatshirts at Christmas. But they’re all happy to get out. We try to do this as much as we can. Hopefully we can do things like this for Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day again.”
Even predicted downpours, which had cancelled many other local events, held off ‘til much later for the vets as they boarded two specially equipped buses for the ride back.
Before they left, the musical trio, The Butchers, which had provided live entertainment throughout, serenaded all with “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.”
“We want to thank you all,” the lead singer said from the stage. “We are so honored to do this for you today,” she said, “But it is nothing compared to what you have done for us.”
Photos by Dan Guarino
