Veterans of WWII will be participating in a roundtable discussion of their war experiences on Sunday, June 28, at 2 p.m. in the Oyster Bay Community Center. It is the second event sponsored by the Oyster Bay Historical Society commemorating the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, June , 1944. It was the battle that carried the allied forces across the English Channel to land on French shores in the fight that was to end WWII.
Participating in the roundtable discussion will be Nick DiSantos, who was with the Eighth Air Force; Paul Noonan who was with Patton’s Third Army; and former Centre Island Mayor James Mooney who will be sharing his experiences in the Air Force in the Pacific War. Donald Gromisch, an expert on WWII will be presenting the big picture of the war itself, while the WWII veterans will be telling of their own personal experiences in the war, said Oyster Bay Historical Society Director Tom Kuehhas. There are several other veterans who may be contributing to the program that day, he added.
Mr. Kuehhas has spent months interviewing and documenting the memorable experiences of the WWII vets that call Oyster Bay their “Home Town.” To honor their service, the society will present a remarkable exhibition at the Earle-Wightman House called “Oyster Bay Goes to War,” which opens with a reception after the roundtable discussion concludes.
“The exhibit will be filled with dramatic and nostalgic photographs of those challenging times, and will make you proud to be a citizen of Oyster Bay! This is a wonderful opportunity to show your support for those who have served our Great Country, past and present!” said Mr. Kuehhas.
Many of those local veterans attended the recent D-Day Canteen Dance held at the East Woods School on June 6. It was well attended and got the society closer to its goal of raising funds to activate a matching grant to build the Angela P. Koenig Research Center. The society needs to raise another $200,000 to match the grant figure.
Refreshments will be served at the opening reception at the Earle-Wightman House, at 20 Summitt Street. There is a fee for the afternoon events. Call 922-5032 for more information.
