Decorated D-Day Veteran Honored in Mineola

Mineola Middle School recently held a special ceremony to honor Oracio “Ray” Vaz, who is a decorated WWII veteran and Mineola resident.

Serving in the 90th Army division after volunteering at the age of 17, he was in the D-Day invasion and the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp and has earned two Purple Hearts and the Oak Leaf Cluster. PFC Vaz has visited with Mineola students each year to discuss his experiences at war.

As part of the Feb. 27 ceremony, sixth-graders Meghan Heckleman, Jennifer Moglia and Ana Victoria Serna created a living history project of a 20-minute video to capture PFC Vaz’s story. With his entire family and the school present, he was presented with a certificate of appreciation for making history come alive and for the focus and determination shown during his time in the service.

Photo courtesy of the Mineola School District

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