JOHN GRIFFIN FILE PHOTO | The Longwood Alliance is preparing to unveil two more war memorials at Bartlett Pond Park in Middle Island.

Many war monuments bear names of men and women who have long been killed or who are well into their twilight years.

But two new monuments to be erected in Bartlett Pond Park in Middle Island will honor current members of the military and those who have very recently become veterans.

Members of the Longwood community have come together to put up the monuments to pay homage to veterans of Desert Storm as well as those who have fought in the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We didn’t want to wait until they got old,” said Longwood Alliance president Gail Lynch-Bailey. “They deserve to be recognized now.”

Five war monuments were previously unveiled at the park, each engraved with names of Longwood community veterans from either the Korean War, American Revolution, Civil War, World War I or the Vietnam War. Those monuments collectively honor more than 235 veterans.

“When we put up the World War I monument, most of the men were dead,” said Paul Infranco, a Longwood Middle School teacher who invited a World War II veteran into his class more than a decade ago, sparking his students’ idea for the original monuments. “A lot of these guys are in their 20s and 30s. This is a time for the community to acknowledge what they’re doing now.”

The 18-by-4-foot monument will be an Indian red and will sit close by the other monuments. The monuments are expected to be completed next June.

Currently, the names of more than 50 veterans and active military members will adorn the new monument, but Ms. Lynch-Bailey expects that number to double. She’s currently on the hunt for more men and women to add.

“We’re anxious to have people contact us,” she said.

The only requirement is that they lived in the Longwood school district at the time they enlisted in the military.

After a master list of veterans is compiled, Longwood Junior High social studies students will interview each veteran on video and write biographies of them. The student materials will be sent to the Library of Congress to be added to the Veterans History Project.

The bill for the monuments will be footed by a grant from the Caithness Community Benefit Fund. The Longwood Alliance originally received $70,000 for all seven monuments; $17,000 of that will be used for the two newest. An extra $2,600 was needed and donated by Caithness funds supplied from community groups in South Yaphank, Shirley and East Patchogue.

Ms. Lynch-Bailey said the section of the park where the monuments will all sit will serve as a reminder to the community of those who’ve fought in war and will be a physical representation of appreciation for the military.

“They’ll know we’re thinking of them and they’ll never be forgotten,” she said. “We really hope this will be the last war monument we’ll ever need.”

If you or someone you know is an active military member or veteran who lived in the Longwood school district at the time of enlistment, go to the Longwood High School Veterans page or contact Paul Infranco by e-mail.

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