BY TONY SALIMBENE
Hope everyone had a fun
Labor Day Weekend. I know,
a bit “fall like” but great for
our neighborhood’s young
athletes participating in traditional
track and fi eld days,
swimming too. Congrats
toyou all.
We pray all made it
through the remnants of Ida
without too much damage and
especially to pray for those
who lost a loved one. Wife told
me, “We lost an old couch,
imagine others.” Please help
anyway you can through your
local community groups.
Remember our Post 253
third Sunday meeting, at
American Turners NY, unless
we get word to you otherwise.
P.S. Don’t forgot our local
9/11 ceremonies. It’s the 20th
Anniversary, let’s never forget!
Until Next Time: “When
the whole world is running towards
a cliff, he who runs in
the other direction appears to
have lost his mind.”
– C.S. Lewis
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, S BTR EPT. 9-16, 2021 31
BY AL D’ANGELO
Who’s to blame for the debacle
in Afghanistan? The easiest
target is President Biden
but when all is said and done
there’s plenty of blame to go
around. Of course, President
Biden deserves the brunt of the
criticism, he is the commander
in chief and his callous disregard
for our fallen warriors,
by looking at his watch numerous
times while the bodies of
our service men were being returned
home, did not help his
cause. His advisors and our intelligence
services who should
have been able to predict the
outcome of what would happen
when we pulled out our forces
before we removed our people
must bear their share of culpability.
Why are we spending $85
billion a year for intelligence?
The generals, who have been
fi ghting the Taliban for 20
years, should have advised the
president on how to deal with
them. I’m sure trust would not
be on the top of their list. Whoever
made the decision to leave
behind over $80 billion worth
of sophisticated armaments
including Blackhawk helicopters,
attack aircraft, artillery
and tons of arms and munitions
should be fi red immediately.
The news media and press
must take part of the blame
also, by vilifying the past president
and serving a political
agenda they aided in the results
we are seeing. Not asking
the hard questions and allowing
politics to rule their agenda
does not help the American
people. Allowing an elected offi
cial to dictate what questions
he/she will entertain does the
electorate an injustice. We
have a right to know, and the
media has the duty to ask the
hard questions, be apolitical
and present us with the facts
and not slant those facts with
political prejudices.
President Trump was impeached
over a phone call and
the mainstream media called
for his head. President Biden
in a phone call to the president
of Afghanistan asked him to
lie about the situation in Afghanistan
in return for military
aid. Where is the media
outcry for impeachment? Our
country is set up with a system
of checks and balances
and the fourth estate (news media)
has a responsibility to ask
the tough questions so that we
the electorate can make an informed
decision. We the voters
must bear some of the burden
because many of us sit by quietly
and say nothing and allow
extremists to rule the day.
When you see something
you disagree with call or text
your elected offi cials and let
them know your feelings,
their information is readily
available by just googling
their name. Go out and vote
on Election Day and choose
the candidate that most
agrees with your values, regardless
of party. Our future
depends on us.
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park
Community
Association
BY JOE MONDELLO
Greeting Sam Young
members, family and
friends. I want to start off
by saying, I hope everyone’s
is OK after Hurricane Ida. I
know our area got hit hard
with tons of water. The rain
found it’s way into the homes
by every means. Regarding
our Post, on Thursday, Sept.
1, the morning after the
storm, Cmdr. Bill checked
on the building to see if it
was still standing. The roof
held up, but our downstairs
Johnson Hall at our Post 620
took a bath. Cmdr. Bill put
out the call for all hands on
deck. Took a few hours of
mopping and the dry vac to
get all the water up and out.
Now we will see if the tiles
hold down.
DO YOU KNOW – If you
are a paid member of the
American Legion, and have
hurricane damage to your
primary home property, you
can request monetary assistance
of up to $3,000 through
the National Emergency
Fund (NEF). Go to www.
legion.org/emergency for
more information. On a good
note, our annual Labor Day
BBQ attendance was good
considering the storm took
presence. Same with our
first Movie under the Stars
and Stripes.
Saturday, Sept. 11 marks
the 20th year of the beginning
of the War 0n Terror.
Glad we finally got our men
and women back from that
sand trap. Welcome home
Troops! Our doors will be
open and a 9/11 remembrance
ceremony will take
place later on in the afternoon.
Reminder, Sept. 17
is National POW/MIA Day.
Post 1456 usually hosts this
event. More info to come on
this.
On Saturday, Sept. 18,
get your “Latin on” as we
showcase the movie, “In
the Heights.” This is a free
movie sponsored by Councilman
Mark Gjonaj and the
Westchester Square BID.
Look for the flyer in last
week’s edition of the Bronx
Times Reporter. Also on
Sept. 18 at 1 p.m., the Sam
Young Post 620 will get back
to business with its first
meeting of the season. This
will be a joint SAL, booster
and legionnaire meeting. It
is a mandatory meeting as
there is much to discuss. A
lunch will be available after
the meeting. All veterans
are invited to join us.
In closing, some people
have a deep abiding respect
for the beauty of our community
that once was. Some
people don’t! Remember the
crying Indian from the ’70s,
“Iron Eye Cody,” a true Native
American who was 100%
Italian. Anyway, the message
showed him paddling
down a junk-infested river,
surrounded by smog, pollution
and trash; as he hauls
his canoe onto the plastic-infested
shore, a bag of rubbish
is tossed from a car window,
exploding at his feet. The
camera then pans to the Indian’s
cheerless face just as
a single tear rolls down his
cheek. Don’t dump in the
Bronx.
CIVIC CENTER
Samuel Young
Post 620
Troops from the4th Platoon, Delta Company, 1-87 IN, 1 BCT, 10th Mountain Division in n Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Photo by Photo courtesy LTC Erich B. Schneider
CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253
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