Re-Dedication Of Klestinec Park

On Broadway in Massapequa, a pleasant little sits near Ohio and Franklin Avenues. There's not much space there; just enough room for some flags, several stone monuments, a stretch of grass and a gazebo.

It's a place that most residents drive past every day, but if you asked the average person on the street what it's name was, you might be hard-pressed to find someone who knew.

The Town of Oyster Bay did its best to change that  Saturday when it decided to hold an elaborate re-dedication ceremony of the Marine Corporal Albert F. Klestinec, Jr. parklet.

Klestinec, born and raised in Massapequa, was killed in the line of duty at the age of 20 on July 10, 1966, while serving in Vietnam. He served as an anti-tank specialist and, by all accounts, was regarded highly by his peers.

Early on an unusually bitter and breezy April morning, a crowd of residents, veterans, and politicians gathered at the parklet to once again pay tribute to a local hero at the park which had already been named for Klestinec who was the first Massapequa casualty of the Vietnam War.

Commander Jack Hipp of the welcomed those present and expressed his gratitude for the support of the community.

"It's just plain heartwarming to me and so many others here in Massapequa," he said. "We, the residents of Massapequa, will now forever be reminded of the sacrifices made by Corporal Klestinec and all of our Vietnam veterans."

Town of Oyster Bay supervisor John Venditto actually grew up with Klestinec, and spoke fondly of him as he opened the re-dedication ceremony from the stage of the Town's showmobile.

"If you were growing up in this area in the early-to-mid 60's, and you were a guy, you wanted to be Al Klestinec," he said. "He was morally strong, and if necessary, he could be physically tough. He was a few years older than me, and you know the way it was when you were kids...the older guys would pick on the younger ones. The only guy who could and would stop the nonsense, stop guys like me from being picked on, was Al Klestinec. And when he said knock it off...you knocked it off."

Comparing him to the strong, silent character played by screen great Gary Cooper in the 1952 classic "High Noon," Venditto said that Klestinec was a man's man that did his duty for his nation.

"Al Klestinec was, is, and always will be what Massapequa, the Town of Oyster Bay, and our great nation is all about," he said. "Whenever you come to this re-dedicated park, you have an obligation to remember Al Klestinec and all of the men and women who are out veterans, and to thank them."

The Massapequa Chamber of Commerce played a large part in the Klestinec parklet's creation. Chamber president Phllis Kelly thanked Klestinec and the assembled veterans present for giving their all for our nation.

"None of the liberties we have come to enjoy today would have been possible without your heroic service," she said. "There could be no better place to pay tribute to our veterans, both present and deceased, than in the park that fittingly bears the name of Marine Corporal Albert F. Klestinec, Jr."

The re-dedication ceremony included an extensive color guard, speeches, a presentation of memorial wreaths, and musical selections by the Tara Pipe and Drum band of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

After the ceremony, U.S. Marine and Vietnam vet Bob Donaldson lingered at the weathered plaque bearing Klestinec's name, obviously quite moved by what he had just experienced and the togetherness it had generated among the collected vets there.

"It's nice. I think it's great...it's really great," he said. "In the end, we're all the same...we were all little kids once."