NEW YORK—To celebrate the work of military men and women, the Soldiers', Sailors' Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club (SSMAC) honored military individuals who served in major conflicts on Monday. This was the first time the club has inducted active duty members into their Board of Honor.
Six honorees were awarded gold medals depicting an eagle in flight.
SSMAC is a nonprofit club that provides discount lodging in their Midtown hotel for members of the armed forces. They were founded in 1919 for the returning veterans of World War I.
In a ceremony at the club, the U.S. Navy Coast Guard Color Guard from the Bronx presented the colors before the singing of the National Anthem by the ladies of United We Sing. The acapella trio also performed their rendition of “This Country, Tis of Thee” and a tribute to the five branches of the military—the U.S. Army, Marines, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force.
The honorees were chosen by the club. They were William Middendorf, the former secretary of the Navy during World War II; Chief Maggie Sweeney of the U.S. Navy, who served in Iraq; and U.S. Marines Bill Gallo, Anthony Ibella, Vincent McGowan (who served in Vietnam), and Scott Wright.
The honorees were notified late last week of their award.
“I'm really flabbergasted by this award,” said Ibella, a combat corpsman with the Marines. “I'm really awed by of all this.” Ibella is a recipient of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, which made him eligible for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which lobbies Congress for veterans’ issues.
Sweeney of the U.S. Navy Reserve is currently serving on active duties orders in the Irregular Warfare Office. She's a native New Yorker who was deployed to Iraq in 2005 for a year, then to Kuwait. She just returned from Kuwait. Now she's the Navy liaison for Navy events in New York City, such as Fleet Week and sailors' activities.
Wright was in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens and went to college at Indiana University for finance after his service. His finest memories of serving is the camaraderie with his fellow Marine corpsmen, whom he is still in contact with. They celebrated the Marine Corps' 233rd anniversary on Monday.
