This Veterans Day Extra Special for Local VFW Post

On Adelphia Road there is a building that over its history served as one of the first homes of the Howell Police Department and also was the seat of government for the township.

In recent years VFW Post 9691 has shared the building with other organizations like the Howell Food Pantry but as he lead the annual Veterans Day Ceremony Post Commander Frank Longo said there was a sense of pride knowing this time next year his group will be the sole tenant in the building.

The VFW and the township recently completed a deal to sell the building to the organization for veterans and are now waiting for the final closing before the renovations can start. Longo said whether it is taking part in the ceremony or helping to establish the permanent post it is all part of his mission since retiring from th eservice. “It’s a day not for sales at the stores, it’s a day to remember veterans who sacrificed for all for everyone for this country,” he said of the holiday. “A lot of people didn’t respect that when I was in Vietnam and a lot of other Vietnam veterans.”

Longo said since that time he has one goal for his fellow brothers and sisters in arms. “I made a promise to myself that I would welcome home all veterans that come back and do what I can on Veterans Day and Memorial Day for them.”

When the work is done Longo said the building will have a recreation area and a hall for events. He said the hope is to have a ceremony to honor the troops at the post for Veterans Day of 2014 along with the annual tributes at the old Town Hall and in Farmingdale.