Dan's Papers - November 16, 2007 - Respecting North Fork Vets

It's a word used pretty casually. Sportswriters talk about veterans - guys who have knocked around the majors for a number of years, for example. Or teachers. Survive a few years in a classroom and you're suddenly a veteran. (Although the veteran teacher salary doesn't compare with, let's say, the veteran Alex Rodriguez's paycheck. But that's another column.)

We're here today to take a look at a veteran. The real veteran. The veteran who has his special day on November 11. The veteran who has given us all our days of freedom and safety.

Now North Fork families are proud of all North Fork vets, of course. But they're especially proud of their own family members who have served in wars long ago right on up to our involvement in Iraq.

Let Terry Meehan of Southold talk about the veteran in her life. That's Frank Copin, her father, who, as a 20-year-old, spent time in France in World War I. Frank was in the engineer corps and worked building bridges over streams and rivers. Before returning to the United States and cavalry duty, Frank added the Argonne Forest to his France experience.

Terry recalls the small songbook her father had. It was standard military issue and included the hits of the day: Mademoiselle from Armentieres, K-K-K-Katie, and It's a Long Way to Tipperary.

Yes, Terry is proud of her father. And I'll add that Dad would certainly beam, seeing his daughter Terry singing in choral group concerts all over the North Fork.

Lots of North Forkers know this next woman. Mattie Manghan of Greenport. Mattie and her husband Melvin have enriched our lives in many ways. To begin with, they have ten terrific children and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Three of the Manghan children served the U.S. proudly - Willie in the Navy and Scottie and Marilyn in the Army. The three vets attended Greenport High School and Mattie says when they were in the service they all missed her fried chicken, potato salad, collard greens and sweet potato pie. By the way, Mattie's still cooking up a storm - at St. Patrick rectory in Southold.

The O'Brien family has been in Southold since 1965. But their military experience began long before. Just listen. Edward O'Brien (and this was told to me by Jerry, his wife for 58 years) served in France and Germany for four years during World War II. Jerry and Ed were not married at the time and Jerry, who lived in the Bronx, filled her non-working hours writing to her guy. They married in 1949 and Jerry says Ed is, among other things, the finest gardener she knows. A "double green thumb" is how she put it.

But Jerry is used to military men. Her father, Colonel John Hubbard, spent 41 years in the U.S. Army. In the early 1940s, on the very day he retired, he was called back to duty and spent the rest of WW II in service to our country. But then, how does an American ever retire from service to our country?

You know, I'd like to make a bit of an exception here. It wouldn't do to overlook our overseas friends during WW I and WW II. The British especially. So meet Carol McShane of Cutchogue. Carol remembers her two uncles, both born in Ireland, who moved to England and became citizens of that country before WW II. Uncle Roger Sheehy joined the British navy and Uncle Patrick Sheehy joined the merchant marine. The two brothers (known as Paddies in England, a tribute to their Hibernian heritage) had amazingly similar and harrowing experiences as their ships plied the Atlantic. Both vessels were torpedoed and brought to the venerable Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs.

As for the brothers Sheehy? Well, their sister, Catherine Sheehy Coleman (Carol's mom) lived in Brooklyn with her family. Within weeks of each other, the brothers appeared on the Coleman's Brooklyn doorstep and stayed with the family until their ships were ready. And that is how little girl Carol McShane, then of Brooklyn, spent many wonderful war weeks with two uncles from England. Yes, the uncles survived the war and Carol visited them in England any number of times.

Any number of times. Seems right, doesn't it? The number of times to acknowledge those whose valor smoothed the path before us and allows us the pursuit of happiness on the North Fork.