Nassau County sets 2 moments of silence on Memorial Day
Nassau County officials participate in a news conference Tuesday to announce Memorial Day moments countywide at Nassau Veterans Memorial Wall of Honor at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. Credit: Chris Ware
Nassau County will host a pair of countywide moments of silence this Memorial Day to honor fallen veterans, officials announced Tuesday.
The moments of silence will be at noon and 6 p.m. as Nassau fire departments, ambulance corps and police cars sound their sirens simultaneously to remind residents to stand quietly at attention for 50 seconds, said County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
"It would be a tremendous tribute to all those that gave their lives for America on Memorial Day," Blakeman said at a news conference at Eisenhower Park's Veterans Memorial with dozens of Republican lawmakers, veterans, active military, union leaders and first responders. "And that it not just be a weekend of fun but also a weekend of remembrance. A weekend when we can thank those who gave their lives and the families that lost their loved ones because that's something that we should never take for granted."
Blakeman said he fashioned the idea after visiting Israel five years ago during their Memorial Day, when the entire nation stops twice to remember their fallen soldiers.
Navy veteran Larry Mansfield said Memorial Day was more than just the unofficial start of summer.
"It's not a celebration," said Mansfield, who works with the Nassau Veterans Services Agency. "It's a remembrance of those who have lost their lives during their military service."
Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Bill Burn said he spent years stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, welcoming home the caskets of soldiers killed overseas in battle.
"I hope everybody takes that time — those extra couple of seconds — to reflect on that," said Burn, who also works at the Nassau veterans agency. "We get caught in our days. We get caught in our lives and we take for granted where we are right now."
Nassau has among the highest proportion of veterans in the country, particularly as Levittown became home to many vets returning home from World War II.
"We remember … those who have lost a brother, a sister, a father, a mother to a war," said Nassau County American Legion Chaplain Eric Spinner. "And for us every day is Memorial Day."
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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