2 veterans, a liberator and the liberated, honored at emotional meeting in Lake Ronkonkoma
Gene Levy, right, a WWII army veteran from East Northport, applauds with others as he’s joined by Jean Sklar, left, a US Army veteran of Korea, at BLD’s Restaurant in Lake Ronkonkoma Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone
At first glance, Gene Levy, 99, and Jean Sklar, 95, appear to be longtime friends.
Sitting at the corner ends of a table at a Lake Ronkonkoma diner Wednesday morning, the two veterans ate a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and coffee, surrounded by friends and family in celebration of Levy’s 99th birthday.
But Sklar, not Levy, was the guest of honor. And although their lives had crossed similar paths, the two had just met.
The nonprofit group, Paws of War, along with community group Vets & Friends, hosted the birthday gathering to honor Levy and invited Sklar, a Holocaust survivor, as the guest of honor.
"I happened to live to be 99. I don’t know why," Levy said. "But my mother made 100, I’m trying to break her record."
Levy, who turned 99 on Monday, was born in 1925. Inspired by his brother who participated in the D-Day invasion, Levy enlisted at the age of 17. He was initially slated for intelligence training but redirected to combat because of the urgent need for allied troops.
He served as a rifleman and a jeep driver in the 100th Infantry Division of the 398th Regiment, which entered Europe in September, 1944 and defended the Village of Bitche during the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war ended, Levy served in the American Military Government of Germany where he interviewed prisoners for intelligence purposes.
He later returned home to marry and raise a family on Long Island.
"It does mean a great deal to me for a lot of reasons, including the fact we lost over 400,000 of my buddies over there," Levy said about the celebration.
In his retirement, Levy became a part of Vets & Friends, a group that gathers at BLD's Restaurant" in Lake Ronkonkoma every Wednesday morning for breakfast.
The meetups provide a place were veterans and nonmilitary members can converse and find community, said Fred Tartaglione, group member.
Diane "Dee" Mihailovich, of Selden, who is a member and knows Levy through Vets & Friends, said she came up with the idea after reading Sklar’s memoir, "Disappeared."
She had been friends with Sklar’s daughter-in-law for sometime but was inspired to learn his story.
"We thought it would be an extraordinary thing for the two of them to meet," Mihailovich said. "You have a victim of the Holocaust, and here is one of the men who helped freedom. I just think it's an extraordinary story."
Sklar, who was born in 1929 in France to a Jewish family, said he was about 12 when family members were taken by the Nazis. Most of his family, including his parents and several siblings, were killed at Auschwitz.
He and two of his siblings managed to escape capture. Until he was 18, Sklar used fake identities and forged documents to survive.
In 1947, he and his brother immigrated to the United States. Four years later, Sklar was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany, where he was an infantry operator and then a Morse code operator.
Upon his return to the United States, Sklar married his late wife, Tillie, and the two later moved to Hauppauge to raise three children.
"You’re like the American story," Levy said to Sklar after their meeting.
Friends, family, and Paws of War and Vets & Friends members filled one side entire left side of the restaurant, making it difficult to walk around.
Two rounds of applause echoed as Levy entered the restaurant with his son around 9:15 a.m. Another rang out a few minutes later for Sklar.
After taking their seats at a table that stretched the length of the restaurant, the two men received individual proclamations from the Suffolk County Executive’s office.
Sklar said he felt emotional when meeting Levy and when being recognized.
"I never expected this, it’s overwhelming," Sklar said. "It really warms my heart."
Levy said he was "speechless" because he did not expect such a large crowd.
He thanked the attendees for honoring him and Sklar.
Levy told the crowd that what makes the United States great are the acts of kindness that we show each other regardless of religion or background, such as this celebration.
"This country is worth all of us remembering that we have to try to do a little something," Levy said. "We owe it to be as good a citizen as we can be."
At first glance, Gene Levy, 99, and Jean Sklar, 95, appear to be longtime friends.
Sitting at the corner ends of a table at a Lake Ronkonkoma diner Wednesday morning, the two veterans ate a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and coffee, surrounded by friends and family in celebration of Levy’s 99th birthday.
But Sklar, not Levy, was the guest of honor. And although their lives had crossed similar paths, the two had just met.
The nonprofit group, Paws of War, along with community group Vets & Friends, hosted the birthday gathering to honor Levy and invited Sklar, a Holocaust survivor, as the guest of honor.
"I happened to live to be 99. I don’t know why," Levy said. "But my mother made 100, I’m trying to break her record."
Levy, who turned 99 on Monday, was born in 1925. Inspired by his brother who participated in the D-Day invasion, Levy enlisted at the age of 17. He was initially slated for intelligence training but redirected to combat because of the urgent need for allied troops.
He served as a rifleman and a jeep driver in the 100th Infantry Division of the 398th Regiment, which entered Europe in September, 1944 and defended the Village of Bitche during the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war ended, Levy served in the American Military Government of Germany where he interviewed prisoners for intelligence purposes.
He later returned home to marry and raise a family on Long Island.
"It does mean a great deal to me for a lot of reasons, including the fact we lost over 400,000 of my buddies over there," Levy said about the celebration.
In his retirement, Levy became a part of Vets & Friends, a group that gathers at BLD's Restaurant" in Lake Ronkonkoma every Wednesday morning for breakfast.
The meetups provide a place were veterans and nonmilitary members can converse and find community, said Fred Tartaglione, group member.
Diane "Dee" Mihailovich, of Selden, who is a member and knows Levy through Vets & Friends, said she came up with the idea after reading Sklar’s memoir, "Disappeared."
She had been friends with Sklar’s daughter-in-law for sometime but was inspired to learn his story.
"We thought it would be an extraordinary thing for the two of them to meet," Mihailovich said. "You have a victim of the Holocaust, and here is one of the men who helped freedom. I just think it's an extraordinary story."
Sklar, who was born in 1929 in France to a Jewish family, said he was about 12 when family members were taken by the Nazis. Most of his family, including his parents and several siblings, were killed at Auschwitz.
He and two of his siblings managed to escape capture. Until he was 18, Sklar used fake identities and forged documents to survive.
In 1947, he and his brother immigrated to the United States. Four years later, Sklar was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany, where he was an infantry operator and then a Morse code operator.
Upon his return to the United States, Sklar married his late wife, Tillie, and the two later moved to Hauppauge to raise three children.
"You’re like the American story," Levy said to Sklar after their meeting.
Friends, family, and Paws of War and Vets & Friends members filled one side entire left side of the restaurant, making it difficult to walk around.
Two rounds of applause echoed as Levy entered the restaurant with his son around 9:15 a.m. Another rang out a few minutes later for Sklar.
After taking their seats at a table that stretched the length of the restaurant, the two men received individual proclamations from the Suffolk County Executive’s office.
Sklar said he felt emotional when meeting Levy and when being recognized.
"I never expected this, it’s overwhelming," Sklar said. "It really warms my heart."
Levy said he was "speechless" because he did not expect such a large crowd.
He thanked the attendees for honoring him and Sklar.
Levy told the crowd that what makes the United States great are the acts of kindness that we show each other regardless of religion or background, such as this celebration.
"This country is worth all of us remembering that we have to try to do a little something," Levy said. "We owe it to be as good a citizen as we can be."
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