Allan M. Dorman (center), Mayor, Village of Islandia, is joined by village officials, veterans from the Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #12144, members of the Islandia Public Safety Department and the Lakeland and Central Islip Fire Departments at the Memorial Day ceremony on May 27.
On May 27, local war veterans, residents, and members of the Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144 and the Lakeland and Central Islip Fire Departments joined Allan M. Dorman, Mayor, Village of Islandia, for a special Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Triangle. The ceremony honored those who sacrificed their lives for this country.
The ceremony featured a rendition of the national anthem by Kingston Johnson, and an invocation by Tom Brauner, Chaplain, VFW Post #12144. Vincent Dekeris, Commander, VFW Post #12144, addressed the attendees and described what Memorial Day means to him.
There was also a reading of “In Flanders Field” by Denise Schrage, Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Village of Islandia, and “Youngblood” by Mayor Dorman. The ceremony ended with the laying of the wreaths, a 12-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”
Congratulations to the three incumbent trustees, Victor Montanez III, Raymond Bush, and Patricia Peters, for winning their elections for a four year term.
Sal Scarlato (right) and Mayor Dorman
On January 14, Sal Scarlato celebrated his 90th birthday. He is the president of the Central Long Island Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association and has always attended the Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at the Islandia Memorial Triangle.
According to the Korean War Legacy Foundation, Sal was born in Brooklyn on January 14, 1933. He served in the Naval Reserve from 1949 to 1951 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in the Marines from 1951 to 1953. In 1952, he was sent to Korea and was stationed on the front lines near Panmunjoem. Among the battles and campaigns he fought in were Kimpo Peninsula, Bunker Hill, Siberia, Vegas City and The Hook.
He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained during a grenade blast. In addition, he received the Naval Reserve Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Korean Defense Medal and the UN Medal.
Islandia’s newest Village Trustees, Raymond Bush and Victor Montanez III, spearheaded the Board of Trustees’ decision to include the construction of two pickleball courts to be added to the grounds of Village Hall.
The construction is included in the village’s 2023 budget and should be operational and available for residential use by this summer. In commenting on the new courts, Trustee Montanez said, “Considering the growing popularity of the sport and the difficulty to find open courts, we thought this was the perfect addition to our village.”
Trustee Bush agreed, adding, “Pickleball is great for all ages, especially for seniors who want to be active, but are looking for a competitive sport that has less physical demands. The new courts will be another enhancement to our local quality of life that living in a village provides us.”
The Village of Islandia held its 17th annual tree lighting ceremony on December 3. Two hundred residents showed up to hear holiday songs and enjoy cookies and hot chocolate. Children mailed their letters to Santa, received candy canes from Ms. Claus and had their pictures taken with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. After the Christmas tree was lit, Santa Claus arrived and gave out toys to the good boys and girls of Islandia.
Victor Montanez III, the new Village Trustee.Joe Prokop (right), Village Attorney, Village of Islandia, swears in Victor Montanez III (left) as the new Village Trustee during the village’s board meeting on October 4.
Victor Montanez III was sworn in as the new trustee during the village’s October 4 board meeting. He replaces Barbara Lacey, who is relocating elsewhere.
A 49-year village resident, Mr. Montanez has been employed as an information technology (IT) specialist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook for the past 17 years. He also owns his own IT firm, Gemini Total Solutions, based in Islandia. Prior to this, he was a business manager and director for Phibro Animal Health in Fort Lee, New Jersey. His duties included serving as an assistant to the company’s chief information officer and handling domestic and international business matters.
Mr. Montanez is a graduate of Suffolk County Community College in Selden, New York, where he earned his Associate of Arts and Science degree in Business. He is currently enrolled at SUNY-Stony Brook as a Business major.
His father, Victor Montanez, Jr., is a member of the Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144. In September, the younger Victor Montanez served as a guardian for his father during the Honor Flight, in which war veterans are escorted during visits to the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
