On May 12th I represented the Post at Peconic Landing honoring resident Edwin Cartoski who was being honored as New York State 2023 Veteran of the Year. The recognition was presented by Senator Anthony Palumbo and organized by VFW Post 5350. Myself and Adjunct Brian Hughes congratulated 99 year old Colonel Cartoski and presented him a Challenge coin from the Sons of the Legion.
His military record is amazing! Born in Quiogue, he graduated early from Westhampton Beach High School in 1942, in order to enlist in the Navy and help with the war effort. After training in the Navy V-5 pilots program, he became 2nd Lt. Marine Pilot- flew Corsairs, Hellcats on delivery and test runs. He served on missions for Admiral "Bull" Halsey including service in the Pacific Theater. After the war he returned home and attending College on the GI bill but was called upon to serve again in the Korean War. Flying air support for the 1st Marines he still recalls with emotion being surrounded by enemy forces of China and North Korea during an ambush. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1974 as a Colonel.
With an impressive amount of fruit salad (Military ribbons) on his uniform, and Awards too numerous to list, he resumed civilian life with his family as a test pilot for Grumman before retirement in 1983. During it all Mr. Cartoski and his wife Althea raised five children.
Congratulations on this well deserved recognition as NYS Veteran of the Year!
Gary Iorio, SAL Commander
The Queen of Hearts game is still going on and Jan Powers is our chairman. The game consists of 52 shuffled playing cards plus two jokers. Each card is randomly sealed inside an envelope that is numbered1 to 54 and displayed in the locked glass class as
shown in the picture below. Players write one of these numbers from the unopened
envelopes on each of their Queen of Hearts tickets ($10.00 for 3 tickets). Please refer
to our Reporter for exact dates of each drawing. A ticket will be drawn randomly
from a large see-through bin and the envelope that corresponds with the number
on that ticket will be opened to reveal the card inside. If the Queen of Hearts card is
chosen the ticket holder wins 60% of the jackpot for that drawing. If the Queen of
Hearts is not chosen, the game continues until the following month and the funds roll
over into the next drawing and more tickets will be sold building up the pot. All the
official rules will be posted in the Legion bar and the card display case and tumbler are located in the bar locked until the drawing.
If you want to purchase tickets please contact Jan Powers 914.213.8467 or email GalaxyFCC@gmail.com.
The Four Pillars of the American Legion
I. Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation
II. National Security
III. Americanism
IV. Children & Youth
51655 Main Rd, Southold, New York 11971, United States Mail us a Letter at: P.O. Box 591 Southold, NY 11971
Bingo is every Tuesday from 12:00-3:30 PM.
The Bar is most often open on Friday from 6PM to 9:30PM