______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
MARKENS JEWELERS
HERALD
FINAL DAYS! DOORS CLOSE FOREVER
SATURDAY, DEC 31!
DECEMBER 29, 2022 - JANUARY 4, 2023
What’s
Vol. 34 No. 1
A veteran helping other veterans
INSIDE INSIDE
By Juan Lasso
W V.S. Central High School became a National Blue Ribbon School. Page 16
Firemen's Field celebrated its 100th anniversary. Page 17
Natalia Suaza, of Valley Stream, was crowned Miss Teen Long Island. Page 19
For BrEAKING NEWS go to liherald.com
hen George Catalanotto, a distinguished U.S. Army veteran who served for 13 months in Vietnam as a combat engineer, enters a classroom for one of his teaching presentations about veterans, he makes a point to bring his star-spangled box. The box is heavy, packed with pieces of his tactical combat gear — a bowling-ball-sized M1 steel pot helmet, a lightweight radio the size of a brick, an M-17 gas mask — items and articles of his own lived experience in one of America's deadliest wars. Nowadays, they are Catalanotto’s teaching props. He feels most happy and at ease in front of an audience of children, presenting himself as a veteran teaching about and helping other veterans. There, the 77-year-old is in his element, and he exudes a warm, grandfatherly charisma combined with a jovial young man’s energy. He pulls out his pot helmet and drops it to the floor, the loud thud rattling the classroom. Children become wide-eyed, giggling in delightful surprise. Catalanotto asks the teachers before his presentation to single out the child having a rough day, and he enlists that boy or girl as his assistant, letting him put on the gas mask. He gives her a patriot pin to take, along with some for her family. The presentation’s main educational attraction is his slide show, detailing, among other things, veterans' career benefits, military duties, and the ongoing security needs that America’s servicemen and women provide. There are moments of celebration and gratitude in his presentation as well. Catalanotto’s favorite part is a video compilation of military families who, after enduring the pain and anxiety of separation, are surprised by the unexpected return of their solider. There are always tears and a tight embrace, moments of emotion and release. “What do you think is a veteran’s favorite reward?” reads a slide. The answer: “Maybe it’s just coming home to surprise their loved ones!”
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HERALD PERSON oF THE YEAR
GeorGe CAtALAnotto He pushes the issues and has been helping veterans for as long as I can remember. Jim Brown Commander, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 145 Sometimes the kids and the teachers shed tears, noted Catalanotto: “It’s a real bell ringer.” He said he hopes people will walk away with a more compassionate glimpse into the difficult conditions and realities
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that thousands of American servicemen and women have experienced and will continue to experience throughout the nation's wars in their efforts to safeguard the freedoms and liberties that millions of Americans enjoy. Armed with his human touch, and his natural penchant for injecting any situation with delight, dignity, humor, and compassion, Catalanotto has quietly but powerfully sought to deliver his message — remember our veterans — home to the village of Valley Stream and its residents. For his efforts, the Herald is proud to name him its 2022 Person of the Year. “He is far and above one of the best guys out in the field,” said Jim Brown, commander of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 145. The message of honor and remembrance has not gone unheard, Catalanotto said. He is grateful to the village for its show of support for and solidarity with veterans, never failing to pull out all the stops during its veterans events. Veterans like Catalanotto bring a thoughtful presence and depth to every ceremony, especially for one like him who prefers not to be celebrated but to celebrate and tend to the needs of his fellow brothers and sisters of the armed forces. “Many of our veterans are released from active duty and are not aware of many of the entitlements they have. The Veterans Affairs agency does not come knocking at our doors,” Senior Vice Commander Abel Cuevas, of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1790, said. “Groups such as the VFW, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion are willing to help veterans in the community. This is why we campaign for Continued on page 2 Tim Baker/Herald
George Catalanotto, a Vietnam veteran, adores teaching children about the nation's servicemen and women.