Veterans Challenge Residents With Call to Action

Ret. Col. Roland J. Tiso Jr. gave a bold reminder of the toll of freedom to the solemn gathering.

"I would remind each and every one of you in the audience today that you sleep peacefully at night because trained, tough, brave men with guns do not," he said.

Tiso served as a powerful keynote speaker for Sunday's Kemper Memorial Ceremony, an hour-long event commemorating the 99 soldiers from Mamaroneck who died in World War II.

The memorial stands in front of the Mamaroneck High School and holds each of their names. It was donated by the family of one of those fallen soldiers, Richard M. Kemper, as well as the park in which it stands. 

His nephew, Richard Cantor, hosted the annual ceremony. Cantor's wife Marianne sang the "National Anthem" at the beginning of the ceremony, and "God Bless America" at the end, in addition to calling the roll of honor, as those in attendance placed American flags around the monument.

During the keynote address, Tiso, who retired from the U.S. Army in 2004 and now works as a defense contractor at U.S. Central Command, talked about Richard Kemper, who landed in France in July of 1944 and led a platoon into the French countryside. Kemper, who is a Mamaroneck High School graduate, was one of 30,000 who died during that campaign, and the 250,000 who died in combat overall.

Another speaker, Burt Corwin, a veteran of the Vietnam War and Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars for Post 1156, served in a different war, under different circumstances. But Corwin said that both World War II and the Vietnam War shared one key element — shared sacrifice, which he said is missing from today's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because the brunt of war has fallen on just three million people, out of 350 million.

If you support these wars,  he said, you should support a draft that requires all men of a certain age to potentially serve their country.

"However imperfect at the time, shared sacrifice helped end the Vietnam War," Corwin said.

Ronald C. Tocci, retired veterans' advocate for the Commission of Veterans Affairs, continued on the theme.

"Freedom is a gift won with the courage to sacrifice life and blood," he said. "Today is not just a day of remembrance, but a day of a call for action."

While military service is one way to get involved and support the U.S. military, Richard Cantor presented another option for those "getting up in years," who still want to help. On the back of the program for the ceremony was a list of 12 issues that active duty personnel, veterans and their families face daily, and an e-mail sign up — HelpOurWarriors@gmail.com — to keep them updated on ways to help.

Even something as simple as a signature can be a powerful tool in helping those who protect defend the freedoms all Americans enjoy, Cantor said.

But he also asked this pointed question: "Where are all the students? Where are their parents? Where are the teachers? In fact, where are the overwhelming number of residents in our community?" He expressed gratitude to those present, but, like the other speakers, encouraged greater involvement.

Other community members who gave remarks included the Village of Larchmont Mayor Joshua L. Mandell, Vice President of the Mamaroneck School Board Richard Marsico and Town of Mamaroneck Supervisor Valerie O'Keeffe.