Women's Lacrosse Hosts 5th Annual Veterans Day Clinic & Showcase
Patchogue, NY| For the fifth straight year the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's lacrosse program hosted its annual Veterans Day High School Girls Lacrosse Clinic & Showcase on November 6. The highlight of the event has been the Veteran's March and Celebration in which the SJC women's lacrosse team and over 125 high school lacrosse players honor attending veterans. SJC head coach Bob Vlahakis assumed the responsibility of introducing each veteran individually, allowing the crowd to acknowledge their service. After the introductions, the veterans were received at a catered luncheon while the 12 teams participated in the 7-v-7 showcase.
"What a privilege it is each year to host some of our local veterans and show them our appreciation," said Coach Vlahakis. "It's heartwarming to give each veteran a moment of acknowledgement and appreciation. We recognized the memory of those who served in World War II and honored others in person who served in Korea, Vietnam and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan. Truly a humbling and emotional day for all involved."
Below are some of the participants' accounts of the event.
"It was an honor to be at the St. Joseph's College veterans celebration. I had the privilege of serving in the US Army and it is very uplifting to see so many people supporting and helping our veterans. The support of the college, students and public is a great help to all the veterans, especially those suffering from physical and mental effects relating to their service. In the days of Vietnam, the soldiers did not receive a welcome home, so it is extremely gratifying to all of us to see that the public and our citizens have understood and now are so very supportive. In many ways events like this give all the veterans a welcome home and show that everyone respects and honors those who have sacrificed parts of their lives to defend this great country. Thank you to the college for putting this event together! It really does mean a lot to all of us."
- Jon Ralph, U.S. Army Sgt. Served in Intelligence, 1972 - 1975, Commander – American Legion Patchogue Post 269
"The veterans fundraiser was eye-opening and uplifting. It was great to see so many people come together to honor our vets and show them that we all appreciate them. I loved being a part of something like this. It's crazy to get a glimpse of what these vets went through and just to let them know we appreciate them. To see the vets smile made me very happy and was worth all the work."
- Ally Johnston, Junior Attack, Commack
"The veteran celebration is a great event we do every year and it's a wonderful experience for the high school teams across the island to play against each other and get their sticks in their hands. Also, having the parents, coaches and players come together to honor the veterans is an overall amazing thing. The veterans appreciate our support and it makes us players appreciate the game even more for bringing everyone together."
- Nicole Stoppelli, Sophomore Attack, Lindenhurst
"What you did for us at St. Joseph's was in excellent taste, and we really appreciated the students' acknowledgment of our service for our country. Thank you for asking us to be a part of it."
- David W. Mann, U.S. Army Sgt E-5, 9th Infantry, 1968 -1971 - Vietnam; recipient of two Purple hearts, three Army Commendations, NY State Governor's Medal
"I am so glad I got to be a part of the Veterans Day tournament. I am a new player on the women's lacrosse team this year and I instantly felt a sense of community and pride even before the event started. It was such a pleasure to see and be a part of something so special. Our veterans contributions never go unnoticed and we are so grateful for their service because without them our country would not be what it is today. Thank you vets!"
- Emily Fey, Junior Midfielder, Center Moriches
"At the St. Joseph College veterans celebration the cheers from the people in the stands and from the women Lacrosse teams made us veterans feel like heroes, especially as we walked across the field under the arch of lacrosse sticks held up by the lacrosse teams. It gave me and the other veterans a great sense of pride and appreciation for being recognized for our service and sacrifice to our great nation. To hear the applause and cheers was truly a great experience. The luncheon after the celebration was excellent. Later I spoke to some of the veterans who attended and they stated that they had a memorable time and were glad that they attended the celebration. I would like to thank and commend St. Joseph College and all who gave up their time to put this outstanding event together."