Ambulance Leadership Presented With Patriot Award

Six members of the Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance Association were recently presented with awards from the U.S. Department of Defense for outstanding support to one of their members who was deployed on active duty military orders. The awards were presented during the organization’s annual installation dinner, which was held this year at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead.

The Patriot Award, which must be approved by The Pentagon, presented to the ambulance leaders, was in recognition of the support they gave to one of their own, Robert Scribner, a volunteer emergency medical technician for over 17 years, who deployed last year as a Naval Officer to the Middle East. The award is given to leaders within organizations that go above-and-beyond in their support to their personnel deployed on active duty military orders.

Scribner has deployed to the Middle East multiple times over the last decade.

The first award went to Chief Robert “Bob” Bancroft, 1st Assistant Chief Jason Reutter, secretary Patty Ziparo-Dalton, and former Chief Rita Wyatt for providing logistical and administrative support to Scribner. While on active duty, this leadership team ensured Scribner was able to meet, or waive, all requirements to maintain membership through their active duty military policy. In addition, the leadership team ensured all resources were made available remotely for Scribner to maintain state-mandated training and certifications, and that all benefits have been extended and guaranteed while Scribner is on active duty. Through a decade of deployments, Scribner volunteers when able, and is eligible for life membership.

“Volunteering with the Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance Association is one of the greatest honors in my life. Volunteering with the ambulance and fire department set the tone for a lifetime of service. I am grateful for the leadership for solidifying my ability to do so while on active duty, ensuring such a strong tie into our community. Their support has really been above and beyond,” said Scribner.

Bancroft noted, “Because we have several military member’s in our organization that on a moment’s notice can be deployed to anywhere in the world it’s important for them all to know that they will always have a home with Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance Association … it’s people like Commander Robert Scribner that find ways to give back to the community even when his time is limited due to service. And receiving the Patriot award from the Department of Defense and from Commander Scribner is a very prideful moment for me.”

The second leadership group to receive the Patriot Award included Chris Isola and Glenn Dorskin for leading a civic leadership lesson with the Junior Ambulance program that resulted in an outpouring of support for Scribner. The two created and carried out a lesson plan that involved reading an article on service written by Scribner (published by The Express News Group’s The Southampton Press) and writing a reflection on service in the form of a letter. The letter-writing was formalized in a lesson plan by Dorskind.

Scribner received over three dozen letters of reflection from high school students in the Junior Ambulance program. Isola, who serves as the Quogue Chief of Police, and Dorskind, who is a teacher with the Westhampton Beach School District, are both volunteers as well. Scribner was touched by receiving the package of letters while on orders, and spent hours at night reading through them one by one, according to a release issued about the awards. In addition to support, the majority of letters included aspirations of service, some of which were directly inspired by Scribner. Some shared proud family histories of service in various capacities, and many included questions or reflections grounded in critical thinking.

Scribner, who is also a member of the Westhampton Beach Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5350, highlighted this effort to local VFW leadership. Known for regular civic engagement in support of veterans and active duty service members, the VFW members were also moved by the civic lesson to the already service-oriented junior ambulance members and plans to honor Dorskind and Isola by hosting them for dinner at the post.

“It is an honor and a privilege to receive recognition from our nation’s Department of Defense. I am extremely proud of our Junior Ambulance members, who embraced the project of sending an active member of the armed forces, and ambulance member, a letter of thanks for their service along with some kind words of encouragement. The biggest reward for me is how the letters Rob received touched him. We are all very proud of him and remain thankful for his sacrifices,” said Isola.