Field of Honor to Honor Veterans and Next Week is Teen Personal Safety Awareness Week

On Thursday afternoon, a half-dozen Town of Huntington employees will begin placing 500 reinforced steel bar into the ground, each one set to support an eight-foot pole mounted with a 3-by-5 foot American flag, which will be placed in precision rows on the front lawn of Huntington Town Hall.

In honor of Veterans Day, this display of flags will serve to recognize past and present veterans of all wars for their patriotism and willingness to serve in the military and sacrifice for our country.

The "Field of Honor" was set in motion by the Huntington Kiwanis Club, an organization of members who are dedicated to changing the world by serving its children. When the club first approached the town with the idea for this project, Supervisor Frank Petrone and the Town Board enthusiastically committed their support – even presenting a Town Proclamation declaring the month of November as "Field of Honor Month."

The goal of the program is to ultimately have 1,000 residents pledge a $35 contribution to purchase a flag, which will have a personalized dedication custom printed on a yellow ribbon. Workers will be busy throughout the weekend getting the initial flags in place in time for Petrone to host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday.

Len Totora, a decorated combat photographer and owner of L&L Camera for more than 45 years, will be remembered at the "Len Totora Canteen," which will serve free coffee and donuts. Totora was a well-known veterans advocate who died in February of pancreatic cancer at age 79.

Rep. Steve Israel presented the Kiwanis Club with a Capital Flag – an American flag which has been flown over the United States Capital building in Washington D.C. – which will act as the centerpiece of the display. The flag was first displayed publicly at the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall at Peter Nelson Park earlier this month.

Barry Turk, recent past-president of the Kiwanis Club, said that the original purpose of the idea was to foster a better relationship with the community by honoring our veterans of war. All of the proceeds raised will be used to benefit the children of Huntington through the club's upcoming events including the annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive and Sear's Holiday Shopping Tour for children, now in its 40th year. "It's all about the kids," Turk said.

The flags will remain on display until Nov. 30, and once removed, they will be made available as a personal memento to the residents who purchased them.

For more information on the Field of Honor Month or to sponsor a flag, call the Kiwanis Club of Huntington at (631) 559-9171.

NEXT WEEK IS TEEN PERSONAL SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK

Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Sen. John Flanagan, Sen. Carl Marcellino and Assemblyman Jim Conte together with the National Organization for Women Safety Awareness (NOWSA) announced the establishment of Nov. 1-7 as Teen Personal Safety Awareness Week in the State of New York.

The announcement was made during a recent ceremony where board members from the National Organization of Women Safety Awareness were presented with the legislative resolution and announced upcoming initiatives to encourage public schools throughout NYS to embrace and educate teens regarding the importance of personal safety.

"It is both an honor and privilege to stand with my fellow elected officials, community leaders, members of our local law enforcement and the National Organization of Women's Safety Awareness to officially announce Nov. 1-7 as Teen Personal Safety Awareness Week," Raia said. "I look forward to continuing to work with NOWSA on educating teens on how to prevent violence in their communities."

Teen Personal Safety Awareness Week will be an annual campaign which promotes teen safety awareness and educates teens on how to raise awareness about the crimes that are committed against teens which tragically can lead to injury or even death and to educate teens on how to prevent crimes. Each year, this community education campaign will be directed at educating teens in middle and high schools in New York State about the importance of personal safety.

As part of this ongoing campaign, NOWSA also officially announced the launching of their Covers For A Cause – a safety awareness campaign for middle and high school students which combines youthful contemporary art with relevant safety tips, reminders, information and messages on visually appealing book covers.