Levittown Students Meet Neighborhood Superheroes

During a visit from Valerie Pfundstein, author of a picture book titled “Veteran Heroes in Our Neighborhood,” Lee Road Elementary School students in the Levittown School District learned that veterans are similar to “superheroes” because they have secret identities, save people, keep communities safe and dress in uniforms.

“I know some superheroes,” Pfundstein told the students. “They are in my family and neighborhood. My grandfather had a secret identity as a mailman.”

Pfundstein relayed the stories of several veteran superheroes including her friend Manny, Babylon Town Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon and Lucca the retired bomb dog. She explained that veteran superheroes are often dressed as mailmen, firefighters, politicians or regular people. Very seldom do veterans offer to tell their stories.

After reading her book, Pfundstein encouraged the students to find veterans in their neighborhood or family, ask them to tell their story and then write down the veterans’ stories.