Veterans recognized with medals, and with lacrosse

Vietnam veterans were honored in Massapequa on Friday with medals for their service, while nearby, a two-day lacrosse festival had one goal that mattered most: drawing support for them and other members of the U.S. military. 

Steven Thompson, 77, was among 20 veterans honored at the 43rd Vietnam Commemorative Medal Ceremony by the Long Island Air & Space Forces Association at John J. Burns Park in Massapequa. Nearby, the Shootout for Soldiers lacrosse festival was into its second day despite pouring rain. 

Thompson said veterans like him hadn't been acknowledged until recently.

“Ever since the late 90s, people started to recognize Vietnam veterans, which was nice, because before, I never talked [to] my kids for 30-something years about the war,” the Navy veteran said. “Until we started being recognized, and then they asked me, 'You were there?' And you know, you just start to bring it out.”

The 24-hour lacrosse festival, which ran from 9 a .m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, raises money toward programs assisting veterans financially, with other focuses on mental health and employment. Until this year, it had been played for 24 hours straight. Hundreds were on hand Friday.

“It's a great thing they do for people, it's one thing that's needed,” Thompson said. “I know a lot of veterans that don't have much and they need assistance.”

Starting in 2012, a group of high school lacrosse players in Baltimore came up with an idea to play a 24-hour game as a way to give back to the veteran community. The idea grew and reached Long Island two years later; here, it's an annual event. 

As of Friday, Mike Nelson, co-chair of the Shootout for Soldiers in Long Island, said the event has raised over $1.5 million for veterans in roughly the past decade.

Participants pay $50 to play with their team, or to join as a free agent. Nelson said some kids raise even more money through Boy Scouts or other community programs. 

The money also goes toward programs such as the Long Island-based Army Ranger Lead The Way Fund, Nelson said. 

Erik Mineo, the executive director of Shootout for Soldiers, said the fundraiser was able to provide assistance to veterans such as U.S. Army Sgt. Cory Remsburg.

On Oct. 1, 2009, while deployed in Afghanistan, Remsburg sustained a head injury from an improvised explosive device. After being resuscitated, he was told he would never be able to walk or talk again. Yet he recovered from his injuries, Mineo said. 

“Through money raised directly through Shootout for Soldiers donated to Lead The Way Fund, they were able to provide Cory Remsburg a mortgage-free, smart home in Arizona so he could have dignity, grace, and his independence again,” Mineo said. 

Participating in a couple of lacrosse games on Thursday, Maximus Marchi, 22, a West Point graduate from Yonkers, was amazed at the turnout.

“Playing in the game yesterday, it's remarkable to see the community come together and to support our veterans,” Marchi said. “Whether you’re 60 years old like some of the guys I was playing with, or whether you were 15 years old and were still playing in high school, everybody came together with some sense of solemnity and appreciation.”