The VFW Veterans Day Parade reveals a community of leaders.

On Friday Nov. 11 the leadership behind planning the veterans day parade was on full display at this year's Veterans Day Parade.

The Kings Park and Smithtown community held veterans day parades in honor of veterans who have proudly served their country.

The VFW Post 5796 Veterans Day Parade which took place in Kings Park, began at the intersection of Church Street and Old Dock and ended at the Kings Park Veterans Plaza where the ceremony and presentation of the reefs took place.

The VFW Post 395 Veterans Day Parade took place in Smithtown and began at the intersection of Lake and Woodland Avenues in St. James and marched to the St. James Elementary School for their ceremony.

The event began with the march and led into the ceremony. The march incorporated the cub scouts, the marching band, majorettes, cheerleaders, the the United State Naval Sea Cadet Corps, the fire department, and so many more.

The ceremony featured many personal speeches from veterans, the sounding of the alarm from the fire department, the singing of the national anthem, the presentation of the reefs, followed by refreshments after the event.

Paul Eger, the director of the Kings Park high school marching band said that “it takes years in development” to prepare the students and the band to be ready and feel confident to be able to march and play in the parade.

“We have developed a system here where learning this stuff, it becomes second nature,” said Paul Eger. “The older students already know it, they model it for the younger students and it’s a nice thing that’s part of our culture.”

Eger also explained that practice is also an important part of the band's preparation. “Our season starts in August, we do band camp, and then we do our halftime show, but all the while we are prepping for all the events that we have,” said Eger.

However, the best part of this parade for Eger is the payoff. “To be able to be in the community and to see the reaction of the community members as we walk by, the smiles, the applause,” he said, “It’s nice to do all the hard work and then at the end of it to see that the appreciation from the community is there, I mean that's the best payoff .”

Some of the song selections that were played were “Honor our Armed Forces,” “The Navy Hymn,” “ The Marine Hymn,” “The Coast Guard Hymn,” “The Army Hymn,” and “The Air Force Hymn.”

Furthermore, Timothy Eagen, the superintendent of schools for the Kings Park Central School District, explains that Kings Park is a community that embraces the concept of service. “Service to God, service to community, and today, service to country,” said Eagen, “The community comes out to celebrate our veterans and properly honor them. It’s a really neat thing that we do here at Kings Park.”

In terms of the importance of having this veterans day event, Eagen said that “these are individuals who left their families and went overseas and fought in wars and we need to show them the proper respect and honor that they deserve.”

Many of the parents at the event who had their children participating said that they felt so much joy and one parent saying that she could cry as her son was a participant in the Kings Park ceremony for the presentation of the reefs.

In addition, a leadership group that played a major role in the veterans day parade this year was the United State Naval Sea Cadet Corps which is a navy junior ROTC core that ranges from ages 10 to 18 years-old and are independent from schools and a separate organization. They also follow all the U.S. Navy rules and regulations from the uniform, to the haircuts, and various other aspects.

They seek to primarily teach leadership skills to their cadets, however, they offer many benefits such as opportunities to go on to the maritime academies, 4 year ROTC scholarships at major schools, opportunities to go away and formally train with naval officers, and offer better pay and prior experience for those who want to go on and enlist.

During the ceremony, the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps was responsible for carrying and steadying the flags during the national anthem, the recitation of the pledge of allegiance, as well as taking commands from their higher ranking officers during other important parts of the ceremony.

Lt. Pete Mattschull, a navy veteran and leader in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps said that “it’s about the kids.” He explains that this programs allows for the kids to get exposures in different areas during the winter and summer seasons when schools are closed after completing the basic

trainings to go on and learn more specialize skills like sailing training, culinary training, naval special warfare training, learning about flying drones, and even aviation training.

Chief Eric Realmuto, a Commack High School senior who has reached the highest level that a cadet in this program can reach explains the leadership aspect of this program. “One of the biggest things we are about is motivating your shipmates,” said Chief Realmuto. “It’s more about that helping philosophy, we’re all in this together, we are all one ship, we're all working towards a common goal, and then as a leader it creates a lot more comradery.”

He explains that it is also the examples that his leaders have set for him that is leading him on his path to joining the navy ROTC.

And much like Chief Realmuto’s leaders and the examples that they have set for him, many people share the same sentiments for veterans. And for many people, especially those who have loved ones who have served or have themselves served, as one of the speakers at the ceremony said, “everyday is veterans day.”