Son, Boy Scout Team Up To Honor World War II Vet's Memory

PECONIC, NY — A flagpole in Peconic is newly spruced up — a labor of love by a local Boy Scout and a son dedicated to honoring his father's memory.

Harry E. Schlachter, who served in the United States Army and was a World War II vet, died on Jan. 14 at 93, his son Greg said. His mother Jeanne, he added, died on Jan. 15 in 2017. "He was three hours short of dying on the same day," he said.

Schlachter joined the military at 17 and served in the South Pacific. And for the rest of his life, while working for 40 years for the phone company and giving back to the community, he was forever proud of his service to the nation.

Greg, who works for the Southold Town Highway Department, said in July, he met a young man, Jacob Boivin, 17, who attends Southold High School and was working on his Eagle Scout project for Boy Scout Troop 6.

His project, said Jacob — a dedicated Scout, he has earned 37 merit badges — included painting a portion of the highway department building on Peconic Lane, including parts of the exterior and roof, the employee entrance and the sign outside; building a bench and patio; adding shrubs; and refurbishing the flagpole. He also created a memorial plaque for Schachter that will stand in his memory at the base of the flagpole.

But funds were dwindling and Jacob was afraid he would not have enough to finish the flagpole, the veritable "cherry on top" of the project.

Greg Schlachter, when he heard that Boivin did not have enough funds to refurbish and reinstall the flagpole, was so touched that he reached out to Jacob to donate the money needed and have the flagpole given a facelift, with the help of the Northville Flagpole Company, in memory of his beloved father. Dave Cichanowicz, president of Creative Environmental Design in Peconic, donated all the pavers and sand, Jacob and his mom Susan said.

"It was a way to honor my dad," Greg said. When asked about his father, his voice filled with emotion. "He was my best friend," he said.

Laughing, he said his dad would probably not have been happy with the attention; his father, he said, was a humble man who believed in the motto, "Just do it and move on. Keep busy."

Looking at the flag flying overhead, he said, though, that his father would be pleased to see the flagpole, with its facelift, standing proudly once again in Southold.

Of his Eagle project, which took 126 hours to complete, Jacob, who hopes to become a park ranger, said he was pleased to honor Schlachter, a member of the "Greatest Generation."

One of Schlacter's favorite things to say, his family said, was "You know I like helping people."

And the sight of Greg, standing by the flagpole with the Eagle Scout whose project he helped bring to fruition, was a testament to the fact that Schlacter's legacy of lending a hand lives on in his son.