2022 Maspeth Memorial Day Parade theme and route

Maspeth Memorial Day Parade: Sunday May 29th, 2022 @ 1PM
Parade Begins at Grand Avenue & 69th Street
Memorial Services immediately following the parade at Maspeth Memorial Square

Parade Route  –  Please be aware that, due to ongoing construction, the Maspeth Memorial Day Parade will begin and end at Grand Avenue & 69th Street.
The theme of the 2022 Maspeth Memorial Day Parade is “Maspeth Honors Our Gold Star Families”. Gold Star Families are the immediate family members of a fallen service member who died in combat. These three families will be recognized.

Gold Star Family of Marine Cpl. Robert M. Rodriguez
Marine Cpl. Robert M. Rodriguez, of Queens, NY, died at age 21 serving our country. He was assigned to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center; killed in action near the Euphrates River northwest of Nasiriyah, Iraq. As the baby in a family of five children, Rodriguez looked up to his brothers and sisters and wanted to make them proud. His family valued education, but he found school boring, and so after he received his high school diploma, Rodriguez joined the marines at age 17. He became a member of the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. He was sent to Kuwait in January as a corporal. “He loved the Marines,” said his sister Hyda Hernandez-Lopez. “We were all so very proud of him. He was our hero.” Rodriguez was killed in March 2003, when the tank he was in plunged off a bridge and into the Euphrates River.

Gold Star Family of John Cono Desio
John Cono Desio (they called him Johnny) was one of seven children of Joseph and Rose Desio. He was the oldest son born in 1918. In the 1930’s his family moved from Brooklyn to Maspeth. Prior to his being drafted into the US Army he was employed as a manager at the Lombardy Hotel in NYC. At the time the Hotel attracted many celebrity guests. His favorite was an actor named Bruce Cabot. Johnny would regale his family with his celebrity encounters. He was also an avid NY Yankee fan and regularly took his youngest brother Joe to Yankee Stadium. In 1942 he was drafted into the US Army. Ultimately, he served as a Sergeant and tank commander. He landed in Normandy France in the summer of ’44. With his tank unit he headed west. He saw combat all the way through Rohrbach, France and back east through the French countryside. After fierce fighting to capture the small French town of St. Jean Roblach (only a few miles from Germany) he was killed on a rainy and cold Thanksgiving Day on November 23, 1944. The series of battles he endured were a prelude to the Battle of the Bulge. He was interred temporarily in Limey, France and when hostilities ceased, he was returned to rest in the family plot in St. John’s Cemetery, Queens. He never married and had no children, but he has long been remembered by his extended family for his courage, bravery and affability.

Gold Star Family of Kenneth Johnson, Sp‐4 US Army KIA
Kenneth Johnson was raised in Middle Village Queens living with his Uncle Rudolph Kaprolat [Uncle Rudy] he attended PS 87 Grammar school and Grover Cleveland High School. Kenneth’s aspiration was to join the NYC Police department, Kenneth was drafted into the US Army on 16 December 1965, after training in the States he began his tour in Vietnam on Dec.17, 1966 attached to Co‐B, 2ND battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Div. On Feb. 22, 1967 Operation Junction City began in South Vietnam in the province of Tay Ninh near the border of Cambodia, it was one of the largest air‐mobile assaults ever, 240 helicopters swept over Tay Ninh province. The goal of Junction City was to destroy Vietcong bases and the VC military headquarters located north of Saigon, some 30,000 U.S. Troops plus 5,000 South Vietnamese Army personnel [ARVN] participated. After 72 days of battle American forces succeeded in capturing large caches of equipment and weapons, killing 2,800 VC and NVA soldiers, 282 American soldiers were killed in action. March 25, 1967 while on patrol during Operation Junction City riding atop a tank in the jungles of South Vietnam’s Tay Ninh province the tank ran over an enemy land mine killing SP‐4 Kenneth Johnson, Ken’s birthday was five days before his death he was 22-years-old.

Two Grand Marshals named for the 2022 Maspeth Memorial Day Parade

Maspeth Memorial Day Parade: Sunday May 29th, 2022 @ 1PM
Parade Begins at Grand Avenue & 69th Street
Memorial Services immediately following the parade at Maspeth Memorial Square

Cosantino Carbone, Jr.

Costantino, nicknamed J.R., was born on July 16,1932 on North 7th Street in Williamsburg Brooklyn. He attended PS 17 and later transferred to PS 73 before graduating from Newtown High School. J.R. pushed up his draft to join the Korean War.

Patriotism ran bold in the Car- bone household with five of his brothers serving in the Army. He volunteered for Jump School and
joined the 101st Airborne Division. As a young Private Rifleman he was transported to North Korea to join the 3rd Infantry Division located on the front line. At 5’ 4” he volunteered to carry the Browning Automatic Weapon, a big gun for little guy as he put it. His outfit was engaged in combat from Day One.

The North Koreans would charge their positions and fight at night. During the day they tried in vain to rest, sustaining constant bombardment. As he recalled, his buddies thought they would never return home. Then, on July 27, 1953, a cease fire was announced, however, his unit never left the front line.

The good ship Fort Mason carried him home and he mustered out of the Army at Fort Kilmer, N.J. Tech. Sgt. Carbone saw much action on the front line and received the following awards and decorations:

  • National Defense Service Medal
  • Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star
  • Korean Defense Service Medal Combat Infantryman Badge United Nations Service Medal Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

On a personal note, he met his Maspeth born and raised Theresa at the Maspeth Memorial Day Parade in 1950. Theresa attended St. Stan’s grammar school. The Carbone’s were married at St. Stan’s Church in April 1956. They became the proud parents of three children: Vicky, Frank and Connie. Today they enjoy doting on their great- granddaughter Rowan. They still reside in Middle Village and attend many social events as an admired couple.

Peter Wolyniec

Peter has been part of the Maspeth landscape since his birth in 1950. He was born a “special baby” with a severe case of Syndactylism which affects the formation and position of the body’s extremities. Peter underwent many surgeries to improve his ability to walk and the dexterity to function in our everyday world.
Although he was compromised at birth but overcame his afflictions with true grit attending Holy Cross Grammar School and Christ the King High School.

As a youngster he became a Boy Scout of troop #213 at the American Legion in Maspeth. LaGuardia Community College offered a course in handicapped typing, which provided the impetus to be offered a job as a computer operator at Pfizer Chemical. That same year, 1978, Peter was a charter member of the newly formed Maspeth Lions Club. He ascended to President for two years and has been its Recording Secretary since 1985. It was around this time in his life that he also joined the United Veteran & Fraternal Organization of Maspeth. He served as its President for two years, Recording Secretary for 30 years and Parade Commentator for 25 years.

Now in his golden years he has but one regret, not being able to join the armed services because of his dis- abilities. Peter is indeed proud of the long line of relatives that have served their country in military service. His motto is “God, Country & Family.”

St. Pat’s For All Parade strolls through Sunnyside

Photos By Walter Karling

 

Left behind

Dear Editor,
As an EMT/EMS first responder who was awarded the Healthcare Hero award for COVID-19, I was honored to march in the parade in the Canyon of Heroes on July 7 with truly amazing and wonderful participants.
However, I was disappointed that although
I marched with the First Responders Contingent that included EMTs, nurses, doctors, police officers and members of the FDNY
However, I was disappointed we were placed behind other groups that marched ahead of us, specifically the United Federation of Teachers and Planned Parenthood.
Who made them heroes? The mayor and City Council. Was it to curry favor, endorsements and political contributions?
By the time the first responders hit City Hall, all the ticker tape was on the floor and had already been thrown on the people and groups that were placed at the head of the parade.
The showmanship is distasteful when the city throws a parade to honor COVID-19 heroes, but puts them at the back of the line.
Sincerely,
John Ciafone
Astoria

Long overdue honor for Vietnam vets

In honor of Memorial Day, we revisited some undated photos we found in our archives. When we first ran them, we heard from two people who actually took part in the event.
From John Rowan, national president and CEO of the Vietnam Veterans of America, founding president of Chapter 32 in Queens, and a resident of Glendale:
This picture is from the May 1985 Welcome Home Parade as part of the dedication of New York City’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 55 Water Street in Manhattan.
The flag bearer on the left is John Zimmerman, and behind him is Mike Boyle in the cap, who has since died due to complications from Agent Orange exposure.
To his left is Dominic Yezzon, Esq. I am in the flight suit to the left of Borough President Donald Manes. To my right is Willie Hill. The vet in the wheelchair is Matt Raible. ‎Three men to his left is Ron Renne. The Marine to Ron’s left is Mike Kern.
It was quite a day.
And from longtime Chapter 32 member Don Fedynak:
The photo is actually from the “The New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Parade” which took place in May 1985. The veterans marched across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, past City Hall and down Broadway’s Canyon of Hero’s in a hail of ticker tape.
For most of the veterans it was long overdue. For this was the first time they had been afforded such an honor since their return home from Vietnam.
To Donald Manes’ left is Vietnam Veterans of America National President John Rowan. Directly behind John is me, Don Fedynak. Also in the photo are longtime chapter members Dominic Yezzo, Bill Ellis, Ron Renne, Ken Trautman, John Zimmerman, Bob Delgato, and way too many to mention here.

Fill the Form for Events, Advertisement or Business Listing