P.S. 108 students honor Bronx veterans
9 BRONX WEEKLY November 17, 2019 www.BXTimes.com BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Bronx veterans were honored
and remembered with a special performance
from students at P.S. 108’s
annual Veterans Day Celebration
held on Friday, November 8.
About 120 fourth- and fi fth-graders
fi lled the cafeteria singing patriotic
songs paying tribute to members
of the Navy, U.S. Marine Corps,
U.S. Coast Guard and Army, followed
by a documentary remembering
the late Bronx veteran, Joseph
Garafolo and a special luncheon,
organized by the school’s Veterans
Day Committee.
The annual celebration has been
held at the school, located at 1166
Neil Avenue, for the past 11 years,
educating students about the importance
of Veterans Day, according
to Mike Tierney, custodian
engineer and coordinator of the
project.
“It’s extremely valuable to teach
the younger generation why we
have the freedoms we have and to
be thankful and to make sure we
show it and say ‘thank you,’” Tierney
said.
Garafolo an active and devoted
American Legion member and Morris
Park resident since the early
1950s, who passed away in March
2016, was recognized for his mission
to establish the Bronx Veterans Museum
chronicled in the Erik Spinkdirected
documentary, ‘The Scavenger’
which is shown every year at
P.S. 108’s Veterans Day Celebration.
Garafolo’s donated artifacts—
weapons, hats, jackets, badges, comics,
pictures, book and documents—
from World War II is housed in the
lobby of Dormi and Sons Funeral
Home, located at 1121 Morris Park
Avenue.
“It’s a great place for the kids
to come and see history and touch
it with their hands,” Tierney said.
“You get a true sense of history and
the fi fth-graders go on fi eld trips every
year for the event, which culminates
here today with the celebration.”
It’s a heartwarming tribute for
the veterans, who say they’re humbly
honored and appreciative of the
school community hosting the celebration.
“In my day, when we got out we
didn’t have this kind of stuff. They
didn’t treat us like this,” said Michael
Maskara, 77, a Bronx veteran,
who served in the Vietnam
War from 1964 to 1966. “It’s something
special for us. These kids today
know what this is all about and
what we’re in for.”
Efrain Gonzalez III, who served
in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1992
in Operation Desert Shield and Desert
Storm, described the program
as beautiful and educational.
“It’s something that a lot of
young children don’t know about —
what it is to be a veteran and what
it entails,” Gonzalez said. “It wasn’t
easy for everyone who fought in
war, some people handled it better
than others and we’re only human
and that’s something that a lot of
people here may not know.”
For Kiersten Carter, who served
in the U.S. Army from 2011 to 2015,
it was a special occasion to spend
with her 5-year-old son, who is a
kindergarten student at P.S. 108.
“There’s a lot of respect for the
military here,” Carter said.
Handwritten letters from students
were displayed on each luncheon
table, expressing their gratitude
to all veterans.
“Thank you for honoring our
country, and thank you for all that
you’ve done. You are very considerate
and brave,” said fi fth-grade student,
Amaya Sanchez, in her letter.
P.S. 108 fi fth-graders honor Bronx veterans with a patriotic performance singing ‘I Remember You’ and ‘For the Good of
Many’ in the school cafetaria. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
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