Hail The Hicksville Hero

Veteran honored for service and birthday with drive-by parade

When Clifford Doering served in World War II, he was a kid. In May 1945, Doering saw combat as a U.S. Marine in the infamous Battle of Okinawa, the last and bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. May 19 was also the longtime Hicksville resident’s 95th birthday. To that end, the daughters of this father of three, with help from the local community, staged a drive-by birthday salute honoring the Queens native’s significant milestones. The turnout yielded a 30-car caravan and also included representation from the Charles Wagner American Legion Post #421 (which also helped arrange the parade), the Hicksville Fire Department (where Doering is the oldest living exempt member) and 50-odd bikers, many of whom were the birthday boy’s fellow Marines.

This heartwarming spectacle also featured contributions from the local Staples, which donated posters and banners, one of with Doering’s picture on it that hung off the side of a fire truck. For youngest daughter Christine Paradiso, the turnout was not only a surprise for her father, but significantly uplifting for the Massapequa Park native’s gregarious dad, who had to curtail his daily walk to the Bagel Boss for coffee in addition to not being able to see his children, grandchildren and American Legion and VFW comrades.

“He couldn’t believe that all these people came out to see him and he was really overwhelmed,” Paradiso explained. “I have never seen him stand up so fast as when he saw the parade coming down the street and he went to stand at attention when his fellow Marines were marching towards him. I watched it over and over again. Usually, he rocks a little bit to get his momentum and it helps him to rise. But boom—he just stood straight up. I’ll probably hear more about it as the days pass. After it was done, he just had to sit inside with his thoughts. He couldn’t believe that he was still here and that this was happening for him. It does make him think of the Marines that he had to say goodbye to. On days like this, he thinks about them even more. He went into the National Guard at 17 and then went over to the [Corp]. He was just a child and a great number of them knew they were never going to come home again. Today was priceless.”

Doering found himself humbled by the turnout.
“Marines always stick together,” he said. “A lot of these guys didn’t even know who I was.”

Daughter Mary Ann Doering was equally surprised by the community response.
“The turnout was way above our expectations!” she said. “My father loves this country and all who defend it. Nothing makes him happier than to see the American flag and veterans being honored.”

While the elder Doering is the second youngest of eight siblings born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, his Hicksville roots run deep having bought his current home back in 1962. His late spouse, Irene Manelski Doering, who passed away in October 2015 at age 92, was the daughter of Hicksville potato farmers Andrew and Mary Manelski and was herself born in their farmhouse on Woodbury Road in 1923. Clifford Doering raised his daughters and son Dennis while working as a clerk and painter for the A&P supermarket chain. He is the flesh and blood representation of what was once a Long Island norm—that of a solid middle class life.

“[My papa] had many side jobs, but A&P was his one steady job that he worked for about 50 years,” Paradiso explained. “I think it was his first job when he came out of the service and he retired when the norm was that you could have your home paid off by the time you were 65 and were going to retire with a pension. My mother was a stay-at-home mom and there was one car to the family. There was one TV in the home and that was it. Those were simple times.”

For Doering’s family, this drive-by parade could not have come at a better time, given the isolation the public is having to endure. It’s had an even greater effect on seniors, particularly ones who are as socially interconnected with their community as Doering is.
“My father has been so isolated, which is tough given that he’s such a social human being,” Paradiso said. “He’ll slip into a depression if this goes on much longer. Little by little, you could see that he’s asking when this is going to end because he hasn’t been going out with his friends or seeing everyone. Just this one thing is going to carry him over for weeks. Weeks. It’s totally worth it.”

Sibling Mary Ann added, “After two months of quarantine, this event was a huge morale booster for him and I think for everyone involved. For two hours, it gave us a sense of normalcy and joy in these very abnormal times.”