The Manhasset unit of the American Legion Auxiliary celebrated its 50-year anniversary at the firehouse Saturday.
Pat O’Brien, who has served as the organization’s president since 2011, honored the 1975 Commander of American Legion Post 304, Joseph Pisciotta, and the 13 charter members of the chapter. “They set out to help improve the lives of those men and women who were returning from a war the likes of which we had never seen,” she said.
The American Legion Auxiliary unit has supported veterans, active duty military and their families since then, organizing various fundraising initiatives and providing a gathering place for those whose relatives served in the armed forces.
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena talked about the important impact the American Legion Auxiliary has on veterans, honoring the organization. “Let it be that Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 be declared a day of special recognition for Manhasset American Legion Auxiliary Unit 304 in celebration of 50 years of service to the town of North Hempstead,” she said.
Additional speakers included Kenneth C. Riscica, mayor of the Incorporated Village of Plandome Heights, and Phoebe L. Ervin, American Legion Auxiliary president of the Nassau County Committee.
The ceremony featured a Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action ceremony, in which under-18 “junior members” Autumn Maley, Ella Arora, Celeste Arora, Tess Harvey and Julia DiPietro set the table to remind viewers of fallen, missing or imprisoned U.S. military service members.
This particular tradition is poignant for Unit 304 because it began to be implemented around the same time as the unit was formed around the end of the Vietnam War. “The whole period was a time of turmoil and controversy. Parents, siblings, friends and girlfriends were always concerned that their loved one’s draft number would be drawn, and they would be off to fight in a very unfavorable war,” O’Brien said. “Over 58,000 of our men and women were killed, many returned home to an unwelcoming country.”
“There are no words that can express the pain we feel at the pain you felt, and may still feel,” she said. “But we can say, from deep within our hearts, welcome home.”
O’Brien highlighted the importance of the organization’s junior members, who take on roles like running “paint nights” for Paws of War and veteran food insecurity, raising money for America’s VetDogs and packing boxes for veterans in Northport. “If you ever wonder if today’s youth get off their phones and away from their computers, come to a junior meeting,” she said, listing all of the ways they participate, including asking their neighbors for food donations, walking dogs to raise money for America’s VetDogs, packing boxes for veterans, running “paint night” fundraisers and creating Girl Scout projects at the Warrior Ranch Foundation. “You’ll actually wonder if they have phones.”
The American Legion Auxiliary celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.
Unit 304 meetings are conducted at the American Legion Post 304, 27 Bayview Avenue, Manhasset, NY, on the 3rd Wednesday of some months at 7 pm.
