March 2008 : Volume 8 - Issue 6

Newsletter for the Alumni and Friends of
Hicksville High School Hicksville, New York

The Editors:
Buffalo Bob Casale '61	Linda (Piccerelli) Hayden '60
Pat (Koziuk) Driscoll '56	Bob (Gleason) Wesley '61

Contributing Editors: Bob Gillette & Walter Schmidt

Webmaster: Roger Whitaker

To contact the editors, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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From the gang at the newsletter...

New Inductees to the Hicksville High School Newsletter Hall of Fame:

• Joe Ryan, Retired Hicksville HS teacher
• Santo Carfora, HHS graduate

CLASS OF '58 MAKES PLANS FOR 50th REUNION, SEPTEMBER 19 & 20

Are you a member of the Class of 1958? Know someone who is? A committee planning its 50th reunion would love to hear from you. Nearly three-dozen members of the class are working on the reunion, scheduled for September 19 and 20 on Long Island, the location and activities yet to be determined. Linked via the internet, the committee has already been able to reach out to more than 100 members of the class and expects to contact most if not all of the others by the time it completes compiling the mailing list by late March. The class has its own reunion website, hix58reunion.com. A substantial number of 1958 graduates still live on Long Island, matched only in numbers by those who have moved to Florida, the committee has found. Smaller pockets of '58 grads live in California, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut.Serving on the reunion committee are: Dr. Alex Althausen (SC), Matthew Callaghan (NY), Jim Cunningham (AR), John Cunningham (AR), Armand DeRose (NY), Kathleen Donovan Agiesta (NY), Steve Dunefsky (FL), Linda Frimmer Whitlock (FL), Henry Goodman (FL), Gail McClusky Abreau (CA), Patricia McGrath Melis (NY), Rita Mallett Papzian (CT), Patricia Meehan Welles (CT), Nancy Neglia Martirano (NY), Al Notaro (NY), Vicky Penner Whitaker (IL), Pat Rankel Losciale (NY), Carol Rocek Sigloch (NY), Marcia Rubinstein Pollack (NJ), Richard Sneckenberg (CA), Frank Parker (Canada), Carol Stillwaggon (NY), Jeff Vogel (NY), Anita Uhlich Basile (NH), Joy Watson Haller (FL), Pamela Weickmann Swanson (AZ), Janet Wilson Moeller (NY), James Wise (TX), Marilyn Zeiher Reinhardt (NY), Ed Zivica (OR), Phil Cotsonas (NY), Roger Downey (NM), Geraldine Visalli Ferri (CA) and Al Magill(NY).

In addition to providing information about yourself, you can also contact individual members of the committee through the site.

People Looking for People

If anyone knows these folks, send an email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

THE MID-LIFE CRISIS BAND WILL BE @ PORT JAZZ, IN THE HEART OF PORT JEFFERSON, SAT MAR 1ST !!!! THIS PLACE IS LEGENDARY AND CHARMING TOO, WITH ITS TIN CEILNGS AND ART DECO FURNISHINGS !!!! LARGE DANCE FLOOR , GREAT CROWD!!HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE AND STILL GET HOME EARLY!!! PARTY WITH US !!!! CALL 631-476-7600 FOR DETAILS !!

LOOKIN FORWARD TO SEEIN YUZ!!!!!!!

VISIT US AT..... WWW.MYSPACE.COM/MIDLIFECRISISLONGISLAND

The Newsletter

In the middle is Fire Commissioner Charles Hearon Class of '71
EMT-paramedics are John Flynn right and left Kevin Keyer
Thanks to both.Hello. Great newsletter. Thank you.

Attached is a picture of new EMT paramedics for for our Hicksville volunteer fire department. I attended the ceremony.

Even though I have never moved from Hicksville your paper is still a lot fun to read. I, of course, still run into a lot of people from Hicksville. What I hate to see is guards at the front of the school, where we played hand ball before going in. I took great pleasure in swearing in Chief Lang. I lived on Georgia Street then moved to Fireplace Lane.

Commissioner Charles Hearon, 1971

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Hicksville Fire Engines

Station #2 (far right above) is on Briggs street. This is the one that is scheduled to be knocked down this June 08 and rebuilt to hold bigger trucks and more room for the firemen. It is to take about a year to build.

I am a huge fan of your "Memory Lane" page. Here's a link that some of your readers may want to check out: http://www.bettysattic.com/website/aspfiles/home.asp Keep up the great work on the newsletter!

Elliot Gorlin ('63)
Las Vegas, Nevada

Re: Agent Orange Quilt of Tears Video

Thanks Joe, I have their link on our site and have just added the video you sent me.

Michael [Engi] www.vva899.org

Hi,

Would you please change my "Looking For" entry from what you currently have to:

Ronnie (Ron) Smith 73 is looking for Denise Bonsang 73, & Paul Cecery 73

Left these great friends in 69 when the family moved to Colorado. Used to live @ 53 Pewter Lane.You guys are the best!!

Hi,

My name is Diane McGuinness. I graduated from Hicksville High School in 1963. I live in Universal City, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio. My sister Sharon (McGuinness) Saeger graduated in 1962. She also lives in Universal City, Texas just a few blocks from me. I moved here from Dix Hills in 1978. I went back to my maiden name after a divorce. I have two children and 6 Grandchildren. They all live in and around San Antonio. My brother Kevin, still lives on Long Island in Massapequa. He is also a graduate of Hicksville High School. Barbara Moore sent me a copy of the Hixnews. I didn't even know it existed. I really enjoyed reading the articles and looking at the pictures. I even recognized a few people. I hope to be reading next months issue.

Thank you,
Diane McGuinness

Modern Day Miracle (a true story by Harvey Weiss, 1947)

Do you believe that God is still performing miracles? I do!

I returned from the hospital on Christmas Eve and enjoyed Christmas with my family.The day after Christmas, I started receiving care from a visiting nurse and a physical therapist. On New Year's Eve day, my feet swelled and became very painful, too painful to do my exercises (mostly walking). On New Years day, Shirley took me to the Emergency Room where I was tested and prodded. I was told to see my own doctor.On January 2nd, I was admitted to the hospital with swollen, sore, red, painful feet and put on bed rest. The blood test that day showed that there were several possibilities accompanied by fever.The pain was almost unbearable as I prepared for sleep. I prayed the following prayer, "Father, I know that this pain and discomfort are under your control. I ask that if it be your will, take it from me." This continued on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the pain and the prayer.On Sunday morning at 1:15AM, I woke up perspiring and knew immediately that my fever was gone. I called the nurse to help me to the bathroom. She helped me out of bed and as I stood with my walker, I realized that my feet were pain-free and have been ever since.I'm not taking any credit from my great doctors and nurses. I recognize that they operate as God's hands, but I do know that I went from being unable to stand the weight of a sheet to being pain-free.I am still pain-free and walking slowly without a walker. It's a miracle. Praise the Lord!

My sister Lorraine Palmer Mancuso (class of '67) sent me a link to your publication. Please add me to your mailing list.

William A. Palmer, Jr., HHS Class of 1964

Present address: West Point, VA 23181
Spouse: Carolyn Warfield Palmer (married June 8, 1968)
Birthday: Oct. 19

Currently serving as minister of West Point Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Two daughters, two grandsons, and a third grandson expected to arrive in June. I'd be happy to connect with former classmates. I'm delighted to see Mr. Ryan as a nominee for the Hall of Fame. In his first year at HHS--1962--he managed to get a few of us (who thought we
didn't have a prayer) through the chemistry Regents. I'm sure that in the years that followed he was a great blessing to the students who followed those of us whose necks he saved in '62.

Bill Palmer (Class of '64)

Hi All,

Though the enclosed link (http://chu65nang67.us/nam/vietnam.html) suggests Vietnam era, it's much more than that. A collection of about a thousand songs and a dandy (Do people still use that word...?) trip down memory lane... Hope yourselves and the fine readers of HixNews grab a cup or glass of whatever, sit back and enjoy... Major "THANKS" for the News Letter. You are all doing an awesome job and I look forward to reading it each month...

Sincerest of regards,
Mike Regan Class of 1966
GO COMETS...!

Thanks to Fire Commissioner Charles Hearon (class of '71), there are more photos of Hicksville today. Please make comments. If I ever get back to Hicksville, I will need a tour guide! Check out the site: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/560430794lsYOhw?start=12

Pat (Koziuk) Driscoll

Dear Editors,

With your help and that of our fellow classmate Bill Greenhouse ('69), I was able to reconnect with a dear friend of mine Ann Marie (LoGatto) Brand who has been living in Switzerland for 24+ yrs.My husband Chuck and I were fortunate to take a trip to St. Moritz in January, extending it a few days so we could visit with Ann Marie. It's truly amazing that after so many years have passed we took up our friendship as though it was yesterday. Here is a picture of myself (red jacket) and Ann Marie by the ancient Roman ruins in Basel, Switzerland.

Thanks for helping us all to keep in touch!

Warm regards,
Karen Kelly-LaCarrubba, Class of 1969

Hi,

A copy of your publication was forwarded to me and I would like to be placed on the mailing list.

Lorraine Palmer Mancuso
San Diego, CA 92128

I am a Fork Lane Alumni and class of '67.Thanks, and let me know if there is any other information you need.

Lorraine

Fork Lane School

Hi--

I'm Pat (Robertson) Falk, class of '65 looking for Virginia (Buscarino) Glaser/Robertson, class of '65. Last heard "Vinny" moved to Fla. Would love to find her again. We were best friends for many years, and our 5 boys grew up together when they were kids. Appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Pat

OK, this is fun.

Hi, I'm Mildred Alice Hayden (friends knew me as Alice). Yes, I took the pictures at the Class of '67's 40th Reunion. It was fun, funny 'cause I never went to any of my reunions. I graduated HHS in '72. Born October 9th, married Mark Virgilio (HHS class of '67). We bought his parents house on Acre Lane when they retired to Florida and 29 years later we are still in Hicksville. Of course, the past few years we've lived in a state of ciaos as we went from being DINKS (double income, no kids) to DUNKS (double unemployed, no kids). Yikes! Unemployment is a shocking thing that shakes the very foundation of who you think you are and how you define yourself. It is sad how we classify ourselves based on titles, offices, windows & expense accounts. When you are unemployed and run into someone and they ask what you are doing; the skiing, kite flying, quilting, the kids classes you teach don't come to mind. All you can think of is looking for a job, unemployed. A rejection letter is a cause for celebration because at least it is a response to the hundreds of e-mails, faxes & letters you've sent. It proves that everything isn't just going into a great void. Eh, get over it, cause the only way out is to pull yourself out.Mark has been through several jobs since while trying to find out what he wants to be when he grows up (he knows he doesn't want to be an Operations Manager anymore). Me, I decided I'd had it with the information technology field and went back to school to reinvent myself. I went to Nassau Community and graduated with a degree in Apparel Design...no more data modeling, programming or information systems. Try explaining that transition to prospective employers. I've since been employed as a freelance graphic artist, photographer, full-time accessory designer and now as a full-time tech designer for Woman's Wear. And life goes on.

Be well,
M. Alice Hayden

Hi Y'all,

First let me say how much I enjoy reading the Newsletter every month. You folks do such a great job. I noticed in the Feb. issue you mention that there were 12 Grads living in Georgia. I know of 2, my sister, Helen Luna Carr (class of 63) and myself. Can you let us know who the others are? I would love to host a mini reunion in my home. Please forward my e-mail address to those folks living here who might be interested. It is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Again, my thanks for keeping the memories alive.
Janet Luna Marcus (Class of 59)

THIS IS THE FIRE DEPT BAND I PLAY IN. Jack DeVaul, 1956
(Glockenspiel player) Wanderers
Jack DeVaul is in the 3rd row, 3rd from the left

Hi,

This is to answer Bob Uhlich's question of where is Robert Hildenbrand. I did not go to Hicksville High School, but I lived in Hicksville. I went to Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset instead. I knew Bob Uhlich and Darryl Petermann and Sandy Sandler, I lived 2 houses from her on Cambridge Drive and she was my best friend and dated Bob for a short while. I also lived next door to Bob Hildenhrand and his wife Carol for forty years in Levittown. Three years ago he moved to Lake Wallenpaupack in Pa. I do not have his new address or phone number as I moved to North Carolina and lost my address book. I do know that Darryl Petermann moved to Savannah Ga. because I talked to him last fall.

Sandy is now Sandy Wolf and lives in Ocala, Fl with her husband Jerry; we have remained friends for over 55 years. They stopped for a visit last summer on their way home. She looks the same as she did in high school...... Great!!

Even though I did not go to the school, I enjoy reading about so many people that I grew up with.

Thanks for all your info.
Carol Christopher Fox

This is from Bob and Jane Dieterich - we live in East Setauket, New York and Vero Beach, Florida.

Eric Blicker has recently been awarded a doctoral degree in speech language pathology from Nova Southeastern University in Davie FL. Dr. Blicker is a 1993 graduate of Hicksville High, received a B.S. from Cortland College in 1997, received an M.A. from Kean University in 1999, and completed a post graduate externship at Columbia University in 2001. Dr. Blicker resides in Parkland FL with his wife, Stacey, and children Samantha and Zachary.

Good Morning Everyone,

My name is Dale Schultz and I attended Hicksville H.S. during 1959 -1962. I lived at 12 Arnold Avenue, Hicksville that's located just off of South Oyster Bay Rd..After H.S. I went into the U.S. Navy for (4) years. Upon returning from the service, I moved to Bethpage. I'm now residing in Virginia Beach, Virginia and I'm the Fire Marshal for the U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security.

Dale Schultz

Greetings:

I am a Hicksville HS graduate, class of '73; I just came across the web version of the alumni news. Very interesting, I never kept up with anyone other than the friends I had when I graduated and over the years those friendships are not quite the same as they once was.

If you want to put me in who's looking for whom, I'd be interested in hearing from Debra Schoenfeld, same class, and Bobbi Layne, Roberta Nudelman and Michelle Lax, all class of '75, I think.

If it hasn't been printed already, my cousin, Daniel Grumo, class of '67, died suddenly at his brother's house in upstate New York in December 2003. Danny was a Vietnam veteran, serving 4 years including a tour in Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange on the base he was stationed. He had been visiting his brother and after a heavy snowfall, went cross country skiing. After coming home he went to take a nap and never came back downstairs. It was very sudden and quite shocking, as his mother has only passed away less than three months before. He is buried in the Solomon Saratoga National cemetery, Schuylerville, New York.

Thanks.
Peter Arena

The newsletter has been informed that Evangeline Econ is deceased. However, we do not have details.

Hi Bob,

While doing searches on Google trying to locate information on an old friend I stumbled on the Hicksville High School Alumni Newsletter and your name as a contact. Maybe you can point me in the right direction. The person I'm looking for is David Skrownski who was a graduate in 1969 and attended/graduated from Brown University in RI. He's an old friend and I've never been able to locate him or information on him. The last I saw him was in 1977....over thirty years now. I will understand if you can't give information out but if you do know of him and could forward my email address to him I'd really appreciate it. Just let him know it's Richie from Key Food. He should know...I hope. lol

Thanks for whatever you can do.
Richie

(Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you know of David's whereabouts. Ed.)

Jennifer A. Uihlein, an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker and Hicksville resident, is currently in pre-production of her upcoming documentary titled: "Hicksville, 11801." "Hicksville, 11801," which will serve as Ms. Uihlein's thesis project for her Master's of Fine Arts degree in Hunter College's Integrated Media Arts Program, will focus on the history of Hicksville, beginning with Robert Williams' land purchase of May 20, 1648 (coincidentally, Ms. Uihlein's birthday), and will explore the socioeconomic changes that the hamlet has undergone in past centuries. As a lifelong resident, this project will allow the filmmaker to explore the stories and experiences of fellow Hicksvillities. Ms. Uihlein is working closely with Hicksville historian Richard Evers as they unfold the hidden treasures of Hicksville's past.

All residents who are interested in learning more about this project, or are interested in sharing their stories and pictures of yesteryear on video, are strongly encouraged to contact Ms. Uihlein. The only documentary about Hicksville, "Hicksville, 11801," will help unite the community and preserve our vast past, all the while, educating the many generations yet to come. Additionally, Ms. Uihlein is working to compile photos and interviews with Hicksville residents, past and present, for a supplemental book.

To help offset the production expenses, residents and businesses interested in contributing to this worthwhile project may contact Ms. Uihlein directly

• through e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
• by mail at: Jennifer A. Uihlein, P.O. Box 7875 Hicksville, NY 11802.

All contributors will receive a special 'thank you' in the film credits.

Hi:

One of my high school friends sent me the link to the HixNews and told me about a friend looking for me--Ron Palmer '63. I'm also from the class of 1963. Great newsletter, and fun to see the articles and history of the town. Keep it up!I'd love to get any info. on upcoming reunions or classmates.

Randy Blum
San Diego

Hi My name is Judy (Diers) Maggi I graduated from Hicksville High School in 1967, Birthday is May 21. Got married to Richard Maggi on 9-13-1969. We now live in The Villages, Florida and love every minute of it. Please send me the e-mails.

Thanks,
Judy

Edward J. Zivica, class of 58

A bit about my novel 'Whispering Whale'. It's self-published, 379 pages and is what I call a futuristic adventure novel. The following is a short description used on the back cover of the CD version.Whispering Whale is an epic novel charting the destruction and eventual cleansing of the planet and a huge reduction in the population of the human species. It takes the listener into a post-apocalyptic world of survival, hardship and ultimately rebirth and growth. It is a strong spiritual story with the characters discovering themselves and a whale with a gift to bestow. It is through the ordeals, both emotional and physical, of Justin and Nicole, that the listener is introduced to the whale and his ultimate purpose. http://ravensintheskypub.com/

My good friend Anne (Stone) Joyner '69 was up from Florida on her way to her nephew's wedding and we stopped into our first alma mater - Dutch Lane School - to look at the scroll of student signatures from our graduating year, 1963. Ours is the oldest one up & the signatures are very faded, we couldn't find our own but found a lot of memories in the signatures we could read. The woman at the desk chatted with us for a while, then told us that the woman in the house in front of the school still comes in every year to tell the kids about the farm. It really was fun to take that step back into the past!

Judith (Karish) Rycar '69

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23, 2008

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:

• The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now).
• The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
• The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).
• The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Dear Readers,

You may already know this info, but it's worth reading again.

A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.

LETTER TO MY FRIENDS:

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.

Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it? Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses build s, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel! How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:

1. When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight th em and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
2. Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC:(blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it. If that phrase does not appear, type your own email address in the "TO" field, but put everyone else's in the BCC field.
3. Remove any "FW:" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
4. ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view; you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. (AMEN!) If you can't forward from that page, "Copy" the info and then open a new email blank page and "Paste".
5. Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who is supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just ain't so!)

One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, -Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen.-Or sometimes they just tease you by saying something really cute will happen. IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me; I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could be why I haven't won the lottery) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that have been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to www.snopes.com .. It is really easy to find out if it is real or not. If it is not, please don't pass it on. So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.

Finally, here's an idea!!! Let's send this to everyone we know (but strip my address off first, please). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.

Photo Gallery

The Class of 1960 Senior trip to Washington, DC.

Aerial View of HHS

Birthdays & Anniversaries

New Readers & Returns

New Readers

A Note From The Editors: To all, a hearty welcome to HixNews.Com. We hope you will all feel free to participate with memories and thoughts that you may have about Hicksville High, and your times growing up on the Island.If you are a new member (or know of one), please send the name, year of graduation, date of birth (month and day only), anniversary date, name of spouse, and the state where you live. Send it to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Richard "Rich" Adams, 1973 (NY)
• Peter Arena, 1973 (IL)
• Kathleen (Donovan) Agiesta, 1958 (L.I./FL)
• Cathy (Link) Colasanto
• Michael Engi (NJ)
• Carol (Christopher) Fox, friend of HHS (NC)
• Lorraine (Palmer) Mancuso, 1967 (CA)
• Diane McGuinness, 1963 (TX)
• Karen Nerak
• Jennifer Uihlein (HX)
• Richie, friend of HHS
• Judy (Diers) Maggi, 1967 (FL)
• John Diers, 1963 (FL)
• Edward Zivica, '58
• Patricia (Pat) Meehan Kelly Welles, 1958, (CT)

Returns

Returned NewslettersRemember the 3 strike rule: Three returns and your name will be removed from our mailing list. If you see your name listed below and still wish to be contacted by HixNews, please send a change of address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Also, you may want to contact your ISP and advise them that HixNews is NOT SPAM.

• Mike Anselmo, 1959
• Linda (Walker) Boehm, 1962
• Jan Barbara (Cohen) Brenner, 1965
• Susan (Lipschutz) Epstein, 1957
• Lisa (Ventrello) Grams, 1976 (x2)
• Evelyn (Ulmer) Schaaf, 1938

DELETED:

• David Laney, 1961
• Karl Milenkovic, 1980
• James Pelletier, 1977

Bill Smith, CSHHS, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Honoring our Veterans

In Like a Lamb, Out Like A Lion

 Time is a fleeting resource, we are told, and it would seem 2008 is very fleet on its toes as the months have seemingly gone into hyper-drive and March is here. As the title suggests your Vietnam Memorial Development Team (VMDT) hopes the pace of collecting names, service affiliation, and area of assigned duty will pick up so we can report 250 names reached by June. We are getting close, yet need help from all sources to put us over the top and achieve our milestone.

 Joe Carfora has signed on to assist in amassing the names of Hicksville residents who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam Era.  An important point to remember is, you need not be a public school graduate to be remembered and honored, merely a resident of our town who served during the period of the Vietnam Era (1963-1973) who also attended a high school during that period.  It is also not necessary for you to have served in Vietnam, just to have been in the Armed Forces during the period.

 In June, Joe and I will release the memorial list to the HixNews. I think it will impress anyone who reads it.  We are also discussing magazine articles for many of the Veteran Service publications, such as the American Legion and VFW magazines. We will also be asking the Long Island Newsday to run an article covering the progress. In July, we will be publishing the artist drawings of the memorial and releasing them to the Long Island veterans groups for discussion. My friends, once you see the drawings there will be varying amounts of passion and emotion surrounding them.  We're certain that pride in your service or your family member's service will be among them. For those of us that did serve with honor, it will be a moment of quiet rejoicing that our time in the military was "finally recognized".

 The effort has meant a lot of work for your VMDT.  Knowing that we volunteered to do it, we hope in the end our pride will truly be recognizable by all. As they say, for us it will truly be "Mission Accomplished" at the dedication in 2010.

 O.K., the sales pitch is over, so please join us in discovering those that served in the military during the Vietnam era. Send us your emails, cards, or letters.  We enjoy the revelations of finding out the names of all the men and women of Hicksville who served with distinction during the Vietnam War Era.  You can reach me by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or you can reach Joe at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 Ken Strafer
Fairfax, VA 22032

THE FORGOTTEN WAR

The Korean War lasted three-years, from 1950 until 1953. The American forces had 53,000 killed in action (see Editor's Note at bottom - in 2000, the Pentagon announced a clerical error had inflated the number from 37,000) and triple that number seriously wounded or injured. It went down in military history as some of the most savage fighting to have ever occurred.

Those who did make it home did not experience ticker tape parades, bands heralding their return home or any form of acknowledgement of where they had been or what they had done. It has been labeled the Forgotten War. The American population was still escaping from the horrors and losses from WW 2. They didn't want to hear of the death, blood and lives lost in this conflict.

But a significant contribution they did make. This war, and the one to follow, sent the message loud and clear that communist forces could no longer except to annex territory by armed aggression. It saved a
nation and a people from a totalitarian rule and economic and political slavery. The Republic of South Korea stands as a proud monument to the lives of so many soldiers, sailors and Marines.

The warriors came home from this conflict with their injuries: physical, emotionally and spiritual. The V.A. was winding down with limited budgets. Care or compensation for injuries and wounds were
extremely scarce and limited in many areas. But these people were part of the Great Generation and they perceived what they did as their duty. There were little to no gripes or complaints. They were proud of their service but sad no one seemed to care or understand.

For five and a half decades they and their families have carried their wounds in silence. The crippling effect of old wounds, the agony of frostbite induced neuropathy and a half a century of nightmares and
flashbacks are the on going cost of the service they gladly gave. They looked for no accolades from their country or their countrymen; nor did they receive them.

They are rapidly dying now. They live on the block, around the corner. They don't stand out. Most look like typical old folks. But they are the heroes in our midst who gave it all not only back then but throughout their lives. May we not be like the majority who has long forgotten the war and the warriors who fought there?

His name was Ed. He was a hospice patient on a Home Team. I was his Chaplain. On the first visit Ed and I discovered we both had served in the First Marine Division in Korea during the same time frame. We began sharing together experiences that we had in those days. His wife was amazed that he was sharing such things. During their fifty-years of marriage she never heard about such stories. She, and her children, experienced Ed as a loner who kept things to himself. They felt he had never been open with them and they could never were able to get close to him. In much of his spare time he would go out to the middle of the lake, all alone, and fish

Like most of us, in the dying process, the emotional walls, the defense mechanisms we have built to protect ourselves, come tumbling down. Ed was able to share the horror, the complicated grief, and the
countless flashbacks that had haunted him for over a half a century. He had borne them in silence.

In a real sense Ed, and his family, had sacrificed their lives for their country. He, and his family, experienced isolation, a loss of intimacy, estrangement and unresolved grief as a direct result of his
combat experiences. The personal, open, loving Ed had died in Korea and he existed in a living hell for the next fifty-six years.

I want us to honor and remember today, those combat veterans, and their families who physically survived the combat but never the less lost their lives decades ago. It is and was a sacrifice that is
immeasurable.

Editor's Note... (the apparent lack of detail consistency, excluding the effects of the "error," is the result of different agencies including or excluding certain categories. As a further example of this, at November 2007 the VA lists the Korean War In-Theater Total Deaths as 36,574 - http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/amwars.asp )

Beginning in 1953, when the Korean War ended in a truce, the official number of U.S. soldiers killed in the war had been universally acknowledged as 54,246. However, in June of 2000, the Pentagon
announced that a clerical error had inflated the number by more than 20,000. Time magazine was first to report the mistake, which had occurred when a clerk mistakenly included 20,617 non-battlefield U.S.
military deaths that occurred all over the world during the three-year war to the total of U.S. soldiers killed in action. Only 3,275 of those non-battlefield deaths had even occurred in Korea, and most of
them were from accidents or disease. As a result, The Pentagon revised the number of U.S. soldiers killed during the war. The new official battlefield toll is 36,940.
( http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/readers/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_readerrep/archives/2006_06.html ).

U.S. MILITARY KOREAN WAR STATISTICS

BATTLE DEAD 33,686 (*Includes 4,735 findings of presumptive death
under the Missing Persons Act)
Killed in Action 23,637
Died of Wounds 2,484
Died While Missing (MIA) 4,759
Died While Captured (POW) 2,806
Total: 33,686

NON-BATTLE DEATHS 2,830

TOTAL DEATHS IN THEATER: 36,516

DIED ELSEWHERE (Worldwide during Korean War) 17,730

WOUNDED (Number of personnel) 92,134

WOUNDED (Number of incidences*) 103,284 (*Includes individual
personnel wounded multiple times)

UNACCOUNTED FOR (Bodies not identified/bodies not recovered) 8,176
Prisoner of War 2,045
Killed in Action 1,794
Missing in Action 4,245
Non-battle 92
Total: 8,176

PRISONERS OF WAR 7,245
POWs Returned to U.S. Control 4,418
POWs Who Died While Captured 2,806
POWs Who Refused Repatriation 21
Total: 7,245

NUMBER WHO SERVED WORLDWIDE 5,720,000

NUMBER WHO SERVED IN KOREAN THEATER 1,789,000

( http://www.aiipowmia.com/koreacw/kwkia_menu.html )

Thanks to William Lent Class of '51  KOREA USMC 1952 to 1953  for sending this to the newsletter.

What Every Veteran Needs To Know: The Third In A Series

In the first of this ongoing series (December 2007) we introduce some specific answers to general questions often asked and just as often misunderstood. In the second installment (January 2008), we looked at VA Health Care Benefits. This month we'll take a quick look at Federal Benefits 'other than' health care. In future installments we'll delve into: Counseling & Support, Housing, Education, Employment, Burial Benefits, and General Assistance & Advocacy.

'Other' Federal VA Benefits

VA Regional Offices: VA Regional Offices are responsible for delivering major benefit programs to veterans and their dependents:
- Disability compensation and pension
- Vocational rehabilitation and employment
- Education
- Insurance
- Home loan guaranty
Veterans may call the toll free number or visit VA Regional Office for more information. Veterans with internet access may also apply online for benefits ( http://www1.va.gov/oro/page.cfm?pg=99 ).

VONAPP (Veterans On-Line Applications): Apply for VA benefits online
Website: ( http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp ).

VA Compensation and Pension: Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service. Pension benefits are paid for non-service connected disabilities. Eligibility requirements for disability benefits can be obtained from a VA Regional Office, online or through a veteran service organization.
Website: ( http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21 ).

VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment: The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program provides training and rehabilitation for veterans with VA service-connected disabilities. The VR&E program is an employment oriented program that helps veterans with service-connected disabilities prepare for, find and keep suitable employment.

Website: ( http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre  ).

VA Education Benefits: VA provides education benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill, the Veterans Educational Assistance Program, the Dependents Educational Assistance Program and the Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve. Additional information can be obtained from a VA Regional Office, online or through the toll-free number. Website: ( http://www.gibill.va.gov/ ).

VA Home Loan Guaranty: Veterans can apply for a VA loan with any mortgage lender that participates in VA home loan program. VA guaranteed loans are offered by private lenders, banks, savings & loans, or mortgage companies to eligible veterans for the purchase of a home for personal occupancy. Veterans are exempted from a down payment. Website: ( http://www.homeloans.va.gov/ ).

VA Insurance: There are currently eight life insurance programs with four programs open to new issues. Two of the programs, Service Disabled Veterans Insurance (SDVI) and Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI), are specifically designed for disabled veterans. The other two programs, Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI), are administered by a private company under the supervision of VA. Website: ( http://www.insurance.va.gov/ ).

This Month's Not Commented on Article

- Of Course It Wasn't... Not!

APPEALS COURT SAYS "NO" TO VETS AND FAMILIES, UPHOLDS DISMISSAL OF AGENT ORANGE LAWSUITS -- Also throws out herbicide case brought by Vietnamese people saying AO was not a weapon. A federal appeals court Friday upheld the dismissal of more than a dozen lawsuits brought against Dow Chemical Co., Monsanto Co., and other chemical makers over the use of the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The lawsuits include separate cases brought on behalf of veterans and their families and millions of Vietnamese allegedly injured by
exposure to the chemical defoliant.  In the cases brought by the veterans, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a prior ruling by U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein in Brooklyn in 2004 that the
chemical companies could assert a government-contractor defense, which protects government contractors from state-tort liability under certain circumstances when they provide defective products to the government. "The government made an express determination, based on the knowledge available to it at the time, that Agent Orange as then being manufactured posed no unacceptable hazard for the wartime uses for which it was intended, and that the product should continue to be
manufactured and supplied to it," U.S. Circuit Judge Robert D. Sack wrote in one of three opinions in the cases. "Although the herbicide campaign may have been controversial, the record before us supports the conclusion that Agent Orange was used as a defoliant and not as a poison designed for or targeting human populations," U.S. Circuit Judge Roger J. Miner wrote in another opinion. 

Hicksville Trivia

 Thinking of the Classes of '65, '66, and '67 (at least those are the ones I can personally attest to), on weekday nights (usually other than Friday night) if you wanted to find those
of us who liked to dance, one of the 'places' to hit was the 'Wayside Inn' in Glen Head, up the hill, just north of the tracks, on the east side of Glen Head Road. If you were a regular, you could avoid the (sometimes long) line(s) by paying your respect to 'Mr. Norman' who would then let you right in. And for those who remember (anyone - smile), when I wasn't on the floor, doing the 'Skate' or what have you, the pitcher I usually had in my hands was full of 'Gin & Wink!' 

Lest We Forget

Currently there are (at least) 4,838 Veterans of Modern Warfare who no longer will be "asking" our government for a dime . . .

Till next month be well... and remember, "Let No Veteran Ever Stand Alone!"

--------------------------------------------------------

--- --- Walt Schmidt Veteran Services Officer
- - --- TOBay's Veteran Services Division
- - - - "Let No Veteran Ever Stand Alone!"
--- --- WorkDayTime: 516.733.8414 & 24/7 Voice Mail
- - --- Anytime: 24/7 Voice Mail 516.799.8300
- - - - Website: http://www.waltsdorsai.net/
Ken Sun - Weekly Column: http://experts.longisland.com/veterans

"To know yet to think that one does not know is best;
Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty."
- Lao-Tzu 71:1

Memory Lane

Sit back and enjoy a review of 50 years of history in less than 3 minutes! Thanks to Billy Joel and some guy from the University of Chicago with a lot of spare time and Google. The older you are, the more pictures you will recognize. Anyone over age 65 should remember over 90% of what they see.  But it's great at any age. http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html 

Through the years, the newsletter has received many notes from guys about their cars. Well "us gals" have "car" memories also and I would like to share some of mine. I got my driver's license at the start of my senior year. I took Drivers Ed in summer school and took my road test as a hurricane was moving in. I passed it on the first try, maybe because the examiner just wanted to get home before the storm broke. 

The first car I had was a 1947 Mercury wagon, which I called "Woody." My father paid $25 for it and I drove my girlfriends all over in it. I packed it full to go take tests in Mineola. Did we have the SAT's in those days? I can't remember. 

While a freshman in Oneonta State Teachers College, one of my housemate's boyfriends came to visit in his 1956 Thunderbird. He invited us for a ride and 4 of us went to Cooperstown to the Farmers Museum. I know it was a 2-person car but my roommate Sarah and I sat on the trunk and put our legs in the opening behind the seats. I never did get to the Baseball Hall of Fame but that's another story. 

My first real car was a 1954 Ford that I bought from a young man. I could not find a picture of my "Betsy" but there was no other car like her around. She was black with fender skirts, chrome spinners on the front wheels and huge chrome side mirrors. The passenger side door always stuck except for one morning on the way to work. I was driving the car pool to Sperry's and all of a sudden the passenger door flew open and I nearly lost Bob Martin, my neighbor, on the Northern State Parkway. 

Betsy was eventually traded in by my father for a new Ford and I was given his 1956 Ford coupe. I drove that little green Ford (it was big by today's standards) until I married. 

Then I drove my husband's 1959 Buick convertible. It was too long for parking on the street and we couldn't close the garage door at the apartment we were renting in Lynbrook. That car was traded for something more sensible when we had our 1st son. 

There were many more cars through the next 9 years, including an MG, which my husband would not let me drive into the city of Baltimore. He said he didn't want the "rag top" slashed! In 1969, times were tough and we needed a reliable car for our growing family. We now had 3 children. We special ordered a 1969 Chevy station with no frills. It had standard transmission, black rubber floors, standard, cheap seats and no radio. I remember it cost $2,300! Turquoise was the "in" color that year. That car met its end (circa 1988) when my son fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a tree on "Dead Man's curve" on Jumpers Hole Rd. in MD. Thankfully, the only injury to my son was a chipped tooth. We were living in FL but he drove back to MD. 

The next memorable car was my 1981 Chevy Monte Carlo. It was brand new and a rich burgundy color and I bought it St. Petersburg, FL. I drove it until 1992 when I could no longer stand the pressure from my kids to get a new car. 

So I traded the "Monty" for a 1992 Lumina Euro Sport. I didn't know it at the time but it was a limited edition because Dale Earnhardt wanted to drive one in NASCAR but couldn't unless it was a stock car first. I'm still driving it. It's paid for, drives well, thanks to proper maintenance and hasn't quite made 50K miles yet. I only drove it to work and the grocery store. All longer trips were usually made in hubby's car. OBTW, "Monty" is still seen around town, now being driven by a young man. 

Pat

Just received this.  I know some people like this sort of stuff but I do wish people would write their own memories.

Do you guys want this in the newsletter? Does anyone remember how LONG cars were in those days? I do because I could never find a parking space in town long enough for my husband's 1959 Buick convertible. Comments made in the year 1955!  That's only 53 years ago! 

"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00."  

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year?  It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one." 

"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit.  A quarter a pack is ridiculous.  

"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?" 

"If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."   

"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon.  Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage." 

"Kids today are impossible.  Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed.  Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."   

"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more.  Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL of DAMN in it."   

"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century.  They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."  

"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball?  It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President."  

"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric.  They are even making electric typewriters now."  

"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays.  I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."   

"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."   

"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."   

"I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business." 

"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes.  I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."   

"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on." 

"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel." 

"No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood." 

"If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it."   

Some Penny Postcards

In Memoria

• Daniel Gruma, 1967 Died: Dec. 2003
• Evangeline Econ, no details available at this time