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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HICKSVILLE VIETNAM WAR ERA MEMORIAL - PROJECT UPDATE

With Memorial Day celebrated just before publication of this month's issue ofHixNews, I am sorry to report that we are in a donation drought. The last donation received was on April 4th; zero, nada, since! It doesn't please me to have to ask you for a donation each month, however, I must do so until we reach our goal of $25,000. Right now we have a total of $17,857 available to us, sufficient to build the Memorial, but not enough to maintain it after it is constructed. New and repeat donors are welcome, so please make a contribution today. Details on where to mail your donation check are contained in this month's Project Update, which appears in the Honoring Our Veterans tab of the newsletter.

In this month's Update, you will also see that a number of good things are happening to move our project towards completion.

Please remember, Memorial Day honors ALL our Veterans; those who paid the ultimate price for their service, those who survived war and those who served in other capacities in our Armed Forces. The Vietnam War directly affected many HHS graduates from the late 1950's through the early 1970's. It was an unpopular conflict and returning soldiers were often not treated with respect for their service. The war did help our country define post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and from the war Americans learned to take their displeasure out on our politicians and not on our troops. As a result, today's soldiers are treated with the respect they deserve, just as those who returned from WWII and the conflicts before that time.

This is why a number of us who served during the Vietnam War Era are working hard to honor our Veterans from that period by building this Memorial in Hicksville. Please continue to help us accomplish our goal to unveil the Memorial at the Jerusalem Avenue School Memorial Gardens on Veteran's Day, 2018!

In addition, should you have any new information to report for either the Confirmed or Unconfirmed Lists of Names, particularly to fill in the missing data on the Confirmed List, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Hicksville High School class of '67 Reunion is being planned. But this is the Big One: 50th Reunion. It will be at the Joseph Barry Knights of Columbus, Hicksville. We are starting early to give people time to make plans.

Click here to see the attached flyer for a description of what's in the offing for the weekend and the registration form.

We are asking people to register early and spread the word, Comets '67 to reunite again.

The Newsletter

Photo Gallery

Only the Brave Walk Here!!

If you wish to experience the breathtaking panoramas of the mountainous Ai-Petri region on the southeastern coast of Crimea, you must first brave the wooden bridges that tower over vast ravines.

 Stomach-jolting: You have to have nerves of steel to risk death or serious injury when you take on one of the world's most dangerous trails Mount Hua in China. It features stomach-churning drops, vertical ascents, steep staircases and narrow walkways . . . with only a small chain to cling onto.

One way of getting across the Hunza River in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan is by the rickety Hussaini bridge, which consists of various pieces of wood strapped horizontally.

A long way to go: at 557 feet in length the Trift Bridge in Switzerland is the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in the Alps.

While the Titlis Cliff Walk in Switzerland hangs 9842 feet above sea level and offers mountainous views and sweaty palms for those

willing to travel across it.

Completed in 2004, the Langkawi Sky Bridge is built on top of the Machinchang mountain in Malaysia and hangs at about 328 feet above the ground.

The walkway can accommodate up to 250 people at the same time and swings out over the landscape to give visitors a unique look at the landscape.

There are three vine bridges in Shikoku the smallest of Japan 's four main islands which are constructed using slats of wood placed between 7 and 12 inches apart, and secured in place with two single vines. Definitely not recommended for those who prefer solid ground.

Suspended above the massive and foreboding ravines in Daedunsan Provincial Park in South Korea , the bridges and ladder-like walkways make for an adrenaline-filled experience for visitors.

While it may look like one of the more secure bridges in the collection, the Millau Viaduct in France is so high it is often above the clouds. In fact, at its highest point, the bridge is taller than the Eiffel Tower!

Hold on tight Visitors can journey through the jagged needle-like pinnacles of the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park via wooden bridges with little support on each side.

You won't want to stumble while walking across the Devil's Bridge in Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness Area outside Sedona , Arizona.  It has sheer drops either side of its arched structure.

If you want to experience the rocky St. Gervasio gorges in Piedmont , Italy ,one way is to go through it via the tiny Tibetan bridge.

Don't look down: At 1,053 feet above ground, the Royal Gorge suspension bridge in Colorado is America 's highest suspension bridge

Spanning nearly a mile across the Taungthaman Lake in Myanmar , the U-Bein Bridge is a rickety platform made of teakwood. The bridge is held together on both sides with 1,086 pillars that come up out of the water, and it looks like it could do with some extra support in many places.

If you are heavy footed, you may wish to find an alternative way across the rivers in Vietnam . "Monkey Bridges" are made up of one large log for your feet, and another smaller one for your hands.

Originally the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in Northern Ireland only had one handrail. Thankfully today there are more robust safety features in place, but
it is still a scary experience for those who gaze down on the rocks below.

 The Qeswachaka Bridge in Peru is an Inca rope bridge placed over canyons, gorges and rivers and is a handwoven bridge made out of a local grass called Qoya. Every year local villagers re-make the bridge before it deteriorates through wear and use.

 This viewing platform at the Auguille Du Midi mountain in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc more than earns its place on the list with its terrifying 9,200 foot drop.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

Center of Military History

Casale's Corner

THE BRICK

Thanks to Bill Ross class of 1959 for the following...

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said, "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!" God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Thought for the Day:

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.