Students Honor Veteran Who Gives Back Tirelessly In Hampton Bays

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — Hampton Bays students carried on a treasured tradition of saluting local veterans this month.

In its mission to take history out of the textbooks, the Hampton Bays School District paid tribute to Salvatore Traversa during a ceremony on March 22.

As part of the ceremony, held at Hampton Bays Elementary School, middle school students Jeremiah Byrd, Maya Ollennu, and Daniela Roman shared Traversa's accomplishments; Lily Schultheis read her winning Patriot Pen essay; and members of the Hampton Bays Middle School drama club performed "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast." A flag-raising was held in Traversa's honor.

Traversa, the district said, is a proud United States Marine Corps veteran who served from 1973 to 1976.

His district bio is rich with details of Traversa's life: Traversa, or "Sal" to his friends, was born in 1955 in Brooklyn. In 1963 his family moved to South Huntington and Sal became a "typical kid" growing up on Long Island, the bio said.

He attended Walt Whitman High School and there, in June of 1973, Sal decided to "become one of the few, the proud, the Marines."

He met with the Marine recruiter in Huntington and upon enlisting, was sent to Fort Hamilton, in Brooklyn, for initial processing and then flown to Paris Island for boot camp. Traversa said it was the first time he was on a plane — and it was not long before he experienced many things for the first time, the bio said.

"After a week of processing, Sal started twelve weeks of basic training, which is among the
toughest of all the services. Like so many veterans, particular events stay ingrained in his
memory. He especially recalls the gas chamber drill, designed to demonstrate what tear gas
exposure was like and to perform under those extreme conditions. He recalled that every man in
his platoon completed the task but was gasping for air and suffering other side effects from the
experience. On a lighter note, he remembers a short drill instructor who would stand on his toes
and rub the top of a recruit’s head as he yelled instructions at him," the bio said.

Traversa excelled on the firing range, scoring enough points to qualify as a marksman with the M-14 rifle. A year later he qualified as a sharpshooter in both the M14 and M16 rifles and also with
the Colt 45 pistol, the bio said.

"Anybody who ever fired a 45 knows how difficult that accomplishment was," the bio said.

"In October 1973, Sal graduated as a bona fide United States Marine having earned the coveted
eagle, globe and anchor. After a 10-day leave, he reported for advanced training at Camp
Lejune, North Carolina as a field radio operator with responsibility for calling in fire missions for
both 105 and 155 Howitzer batteries in support of ground operations. Every rifleman in the
Marines counted on those radio operators to be quick and, most importantly, accurate as their
lives depended on them. Sal delivered every time while assigned to both India and Mike
Batteries, 3rd Battalion, 10thMarines, 2nd Marine Division," the bio said.

The Marine Corps also kept him busy with field assignments in Venezuela (with a stopover in Cuba), Puerto Rico, jungle training in Panama, and orders for a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, the district said.

He served on an aircraft carrier and practiced amphibious landings on both a landing ship tank and landing ship dock.

Following his honorable discharge, Traversa returned home to work for the United States Postal Service and retired after 31 years in 2008.

Since his retirement, he has made tremendous contributions to the Hampton Bays community. He volunteers as a lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Rosalie’s Church, works in the parish food pantry, is a member of the Committee for the Common Good, is a third-degree knight in the Knights of Columbus and has donated blood more than 100 times, the district said.

In addition, he works at RJ O’Shea Funeral Home, "where his care and compassion are a great support to grieving families," the district said. As a member of the American Legion Post 924, he serves as the post chaplain and a member of the color guard, performing in many town and school functions.

He is also an avid fisherman and clammer on the East End. He recently bought a new boat and is patiently waiting to launch it this spring.

"Sal loved the Marine Corps hymn, especially the last stanza that reads, 'If the Army and the

Navy ever looked on heaven scenes; they will find the streets are guarded by United States
Marines," the district said.

"The Hampton Bays Public Schools recognizes Sal Traversa for his commitment to his country, family and our community. In his honor we proudly raise the flag this month."