GREENE –The Greene Legion Post wants to wish the community a Happy New Year.

A reminder that dues are due. Send them to PO Box 149 Greene. The Post won’t have a meeting until February or March the Post is still providing Honor Guard Presence for Veterans who pass away.

If you have a Veteran, widow, or active-duty military member (Guard-Reserve-Active) in need of help, please call any of the following groups: Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255, Binghamton Vet Center 772-2393, VA Outreach Center 772-9100, County Outreach Officer 724-1299, Southern Tier Veterans Support Group (STVSG) 205-8332, Post Chaplain, or other questions J Koopman.

A whole additional list of support services is available in a pamphlet put out by the Southern Tier American Red Cross. If a Vet or their family needs help and government agencies aren’t responding, please contact Southern Tier Veterans STVSG. Veterans’ aid groups are still working through this virus war. If there is a death and or request for a military presence at a funeral or committal of a local veteran, please contact Commander Larry Bourque at 656-9047. If you have a question about the Post, donations, our activities, and what we sell (Paver applications for the All-Wars Memorial, flags, grave markers, branch flags and caps etc.), call us at or drop a note at our PO Box 149 Greene, NY 13778 or email at alpost692@gmail.com. All official business should go to our mail box. Also please call the Commander. Please check the STVSG.org web page and our Greene Legion web page for veteran activities in the area.

Please think about our Armed Forces during this season. It is hard being away from your family especially now. Also be in prayer for the many disabled veterans. The number of troops that have been disabled over in the Middle East continues to grow. They serve because they believe in America. Their Disability affects much more than themselves but their family and children. There were several good movies on Lifetime and the Hallmark stations dealing with issues returning vets have.

This week’s Hero of Greene and America is Howard Engel. Word has come that Howard passed away in mid-December. He lived in Greene and for years and maintained his membership with us after he moved away. Howard was born in 1925 in Brooklyn, NY He joined the Army Air Corpsman August 1943 at Camp Upton, NY. He did his Basic Training at Greensboro, NC. He then was trained in Aircraft mechanics at Keesler Field, Biloxi, MS, Aerial Gunnery at Tyndall, Fla, and Flexible Gunnery Instructors School at Laredo, TX. He served at Tyndall Field, Fla, Tacoma, WA and San Francisco. He was on the last Convoy to Europe during WW II and landed in Europe in VE Day. On his trip back to The US on the Queen Mary his ship almost capsized because so many Canadians on the ship moved to the other side of the ship see the Statue of Liberty as they passed it. He was a Corporal in rank. He earned the Good Conduct and WW II Victory medals. He also earned the African Middle Eastern and American campaign ribbons. We, today, in Greene and America should be thankful to this great American hero. His memory will continue to live on. I personally had some wonderful talks with him about religion. Howard was Jewish and though I was a Protestant Military Chaplain, we had a lot in common. Howard was a reminder of how the military has been truly integrated regardless of faith, race, or gender.