Long Islanders longing to connect, start here

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They served and protected us and now, many veterans of Afghan and Iraq are returning home to Long Island, which has the largest concentration (100,000) of veterans in New York.

“They are here. They are home. And it’s critical that we see and support them,” says Patrick Consalvas.

To many, they are invisible, according to Island natives Consalvas and Michael Anacone, who are working to make sure the recognition of area veterans extends beyond 9/11 and Veteran’s Day events.

The mission is personal, according to the cousins, business partners and serial entrepreneurs, who have served countless veterans through their small business ventures.

“Many have become friends,” says Consalvas, who worries that without the community’s help and support, its newest arrivals will have a hard time adjusting to their civilian life.

The observation is apt, according to Dr. Sonya Norman, director of the National Center for PTSD Consultation Program, who says like their Vietnam predecessors, many service members coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan will face significant challenges.

Their welcome should not be among them, according to Consalvas, who will be celebrating the Grand Opening of his Long Island-based Your CBD Store-Commack venture with co-owner and cousin Anacone on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Like many veterans, the pair share a common mission and unshakable bond, which has helped them successfully navigate many challenges.

“I can’t imagine what it would be like not to have Patrick’s support,” says Anacone. “We’ve had each other’s backs since childhood. Later, when we opened our businesses, the community embraced and supported us too.

The business owners are very familiar with the challenges of Vietnam Veterans, whose service remained largely unrecognized and far too often, unsupported, due to the prevailing public sentiment about U.S. involvement.

Negative homecoming experiences projected to extend PTSD symptoms among Vietnam vets 40 years post deployment, are not far off the mark of mental health journals, including the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, which examined the trend in 2018.

Closure is an essential and necessary part of a veterans’ transition. When absent, it leads to increased incidences of posttraumatic-stress disorder (PTSD), according to Dr. Jennifer Vasterling, the chief of psychology at the VA Boston Healthcare System and affiliated investigator with the National Center for PTSD.

Veterans may have trouble adjusting because the conflict is not ending with victory parades, but with an announcement.

Many become addicted to alcohol and illegal drugs to numb the impact, according to the pair, which advocate earlier testing and treatment of PTSD and related sleep issues.

Sleep issues are a common concern, among vets with PTSD.

More than 90% of veterans diagnosed with PTSD suffer from sleep-related issues, according to numerous research studies.

That’s why they incorporated PTSD and sleep education, as well as veteran’s support in their newest business venture — Your CBD Store Commack. Located at 6401 Jericho Turnpike, the store is providing a (free) gift and product samples to every veteran beginning Friday, October 15 through Sunday, Oct. 17.

Veterans are encouraged to enter for a chance to win one of 4 Your CBD Store’s $50 VISA Gift Cards, in its enter-to-win drawing.

Winners will be posted in-store and on the store’s facebook page, in addition to phone or email notification at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 17, according to Consalvas, a licensed real estate broker and owner of several small business ventures including a car wash and wine and spirits store.

Like his cousin and co-owner Consalvas, Anacone has headed several successful business ventures including a wine and spirits store, which he co-owned with his cousin, as well as a laundromat.

The pair plan to host future veteran events at the store and will be laying flags on veteran graves at local Commack Cemeteries to commemorate Veterans Day.

“We hope that our Grand Opening event will reunite veterans, serve as an opportunity to form new friendships, increase understanding and support of veteran needs and, most of all, rekindle the spirit of inclusiveness that is uniquely a part of our Long Island culture,” says Consalvas.

Our veterans deserve no less, from a community that has so much more to give.

Editor’s Note: Your CBD Store’s Grand Opening will take place on Saturday, October 16 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All visitors will receive a (free) gift and 25% off purchase(s) of $100 or more from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The offer excludes its newly introduced TRIM weight loss product line.

The store’s extended Veterans Celebration includes a (free) gift, product samples, education events and an enter-to-win drawing beginning Friday October 15 through Sunday, Oct. 17.

Your CBD Store is located at 6401 Jericho Turnpike in Commack (11725). To get additional information call (631) 533-7620 or visit their facebook page.

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