Hometown Heroes Banners Unveiled, Honoring Southampton Town Veterans - 27 East

Hometown Heroes Banners Unveiled, Honoring Southampton Town Veterans

icon 10 Photos
Judge Edward D. Burke Sr. and William M. Hughes Jr. with their banners in Good Ground Park.  DANA SHAW

Judge Edward D. Burke Sr. and William M. Hughes Jr. with their banners in Good Ground Park. DANA SHAW

Vietnam Veteran Ron Campsey at the unveiling of

Vietnam Veteran Ron Campsey at the unveiling of "Hometown Heroes" at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday afternoon. DANA SHAW

Honoree William M. Hughes Jr. with Southampton Town Council members Cyndi McNamara and Rick Martel at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday afternoon.    DANA SHAW

Honoree William M. Hughes Jr. with Southampton Town Council members Cyndi McNamara and Rick Martel at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday afternoon. DANA SHAW

Scan the QR code to get individual biographies of the

Scan the QR code to get individual biographies of the "Hometown Heroes."

Veterans and civilians gathered in Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday for the unveiling of the

Veterans and civilians gathered in Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday for the unveiling of the "Hometown Heroes" banners. DANA SHAW

Judge Edward D. Burke Sr. and Ron Campsey at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday after noon for the unveiling of the

Judge Edward D. Burke Sr. and Ron Campsey at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday after noon for the unveiling of the "Hometown Heroes" banners. DANA SHAW

Veterans Ron Campsey and William M. Hughes Jr. in Good Ground Park on Monday.  DANA SHAW

Veterans Ron Campsey and William M. Hughes Jr. in Good Ground Park on Monday. DANA SHAW

Honoree William Hughes shakes hands with Southampton town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman at the unveiling of the

Honoree William Hughes shakes hands with Southampton town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman at the unveiling of the "Hometown Heroes" banners in Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday. DANA SHAW

Scan the QR code to get individual biographies of the

Scan the QR code to get individual biographies of the "Hometown Heroes."

Southampton Town Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara and honoree William M. Hughes Jr. at the unveiling of

Southampton Town Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara and honoree William M. Hughes Jr. at the unveiling of "Hometown Heroes" at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays on Monday afternoon. DANA SHAW

Kitty Merrill on May 24, 2023

World War II veterans, Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans and active duty military personnel received places of honor on Monday, May 22, as “Hometown Hero” banners were unveiled in Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays before a crowd of honorees, onlookers and Southampton Town officials.

Set on poles throughout the park’s walkways, the banners note each service member, with a photo from their time in the military and the names of family or friends who procured the banner on behalf of their loved one.

Working with Southampton Town’s community organization specialist, Jamie Bowden, Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara last year reached out to William Hughes, the commander of Westhampton VFW Post 5350, to brainstorm. They came up with the idea of placing the banners in Good Ground Park, where people will have the time to walk around, look at the banners and “view them with the respect they deserve.”

The councilwoman recalled hearing the stories of veterans when she served as an Honor Flight guardian and wanted to make Southampton’s Hometown Heroes program better. She and Bowden collected biographies of the honorees and, at either end of the park, there are places where a QR code may be scanned, which takes the visitor to a website filled with the honorees’ biographies.

With 23 people honored on 23 banners around the park, there wasn’t time to articulate the heroism of each person celebrated on Monday.

But McNamara made time to single out one honoree: She surprised Hughes with a banner of his own, and told his story to the dozens of people on hand for the event.

“It is because of his service to our community, and especially our veterans, that I thought it most fitting that William M. Hughes Jr. be our first honoree,” she said.

Hughes joined the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and served as a pararescueman from 1969 to 1974. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for his “single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight,” the councilwoman related. He also received the Meritorious Service Medal and was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame in 2016.

After Vietnam, Hughes was a founding member of the Pararescue Team of the 106th Rescue Group New York Air National Guard in Westhampton, where he worked until his retirement from military service in 1991.

Hired as a patrol officer with the Southampton Town Police Department in 1981, Hughes served as the head of the town’s emergency response unit and retired with the rank of lieutenant in 2010.

“Outside of his professional work, Bill has established himself as an active participant in the community at large,” the councilwoman continued.

He is a past Grand Knight of the Hampton Bays Knights of Columbus Council 7023 and a Eucharistic minister at Saint Rosalie’s Church. He has been a member of the Hampton Bays Civic Association, the Michael Collins Division 11 of Hibernians, and has coached Hampton Bays Little League and other youth sports.

“Most of all, despite being retired from military service, Bill has never retired from service to America’s armed forces or her veterans,” McNamara said.

He is a longtime member of the Hand Aldrich Post 924 of the American Legion, and the Friends of the 106th. He has been commander of the Dayton-Soehike-Ohlhorst VFW Post 5350 in Westhampton for over 12 years, and has earned the distinction of being named an “All American” and “Legacy Life” member of the national Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Hughes stood solemnly nearby, his hands clasped in front of him, dark glasses shading his eyes as McNamara read the tribute. Taking the podium, he said, “It’s an honor to be here with so many of my friends and veteran friends.”

Reflecting before the event, Hughes said he thought of a fellow who worked at the Boardy Barn, a little guy named “Smitty.” In war, he carried a flamethrower. “That was his job,” Hughes said. A frequent target of the enemies, he received three Purple Hearts.

“I think about that little man,” Hughes continued, making the point that the average person doesn’t know the sacrifices and service people they see on the street may have made for the country.

Town Councilman Rick Martel’s father-in-law, Dominick Manglaviti, was a teenager when he enlisted and deployed during the Korean War. Manglaviti died in 1998. He was honored Monday with one of the banners.

“He knew he was supporting his country,” Martel said. “I knew him as a kind, hardworking man with so much pride in his country.”

He believes it’s important to tell his story and those of others who have served. “It’s important to keep their memory alive,” Martel said.

“Good Ground Park, a beautiful park, is made more beautiful by the presence of the banners,” Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said. Hampton Bays is a community that really cares about those who serve, he pointed out.

Singling out one banner honoree, East Quogue’s Ron Campsey, owner of the New Moon Cafe, Schneiderman said, “You took those bullets. You could have died seven times in one day.”

Turning to the audience, the supervisor said, “He’s a hero. It’s an honor to be in his presence.”

Schneiderman said he hopes the banners honoring Hometown Heroes becomes a town tradition. “After they’re gone, we need to remember them forever,” he said.

Pairs and groups of family members walked the park’s circle after the opening remarks, taking photographs with family and the honorees under their banners.

Bowden reported that she didn’t realize two of the honorees were best friends. Their banners are side by side, and their daughters were on hand to see them.

Hampton Bays resident Ann LaWall, the former executive director of the Southampton Business Alliance, sponsored a banner for her brother Paul D’Ambrosio, a Vietnam veteran. “I’m already crying,” she said as people began to arrive at the park. “This is the welcome home they never got.”

You May Also Like:

Southampton July 4th Parade Delights Crowd

The Southampton July Fourth parade was held on Friday morning and did not disappoint with ... 7 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

Come and Tell Us

When Tim Bishop was our congressman, he held numerous town hall meetings with his constituents. They were raucous affairs. Those were the days of the Tea Party, and its members were outraged that the federal government was expanding health care insurance to millions of Americans. And they let Congressman Bishop know it. Usually loudly and sometimes rudely. They seemed unmoved that thousands of their fellow Americans were being driven to bankruptcy by medical debt. They were unconcerned that thousands were dying prematurely due to their lack of access to affordable health care. Many I spoke to seemed more worried that ... by Staff Writer

A Suggestion

I have a suggestion for Craig Catalanotto, who is on record for opposing cross-endorsements and for allegedly switching alliances from Democratic to Republican Party candidates, such as Cyndi McNamara and Stephen Kiely. When the Pine Barrens Commission was in the process of reviewing a proposed golf course development in East Quogue (known as the Lewis Road Planned Residential District, or PRD), I wrote to the commission recommending that a task force be formed to investigate land use on the Lewis Road corridor. The area in question is easy to investigate. One side of Lewis Road includes a sand mine adjacent ... by Staff Writer

Followed Their Lead

While I respect the journalistic integrity of The Southampton Press, I disagree with your editorial awarding the Southampton Village Ethics Board a “dunce cap” for Open Meetings Law violations [“Gold Stars and Dunce Caps,” Editorial, July 3]. The Ethics Board may very well have failed to follow procedural notice requirements. But the dunce cap belongs to the village mayor and his board majority, whose job it is to ensure that all appointed boards receive proper, up-to-date training in the Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law. The mayor and board must mandate training for themselves and all regulatory boards. ... by Staff Writer

Shooting Wildly

As a 30-year litigation-scarred veteran of the sand mining/composting wars waged in Southampton Village and Town, I am a proponent of the amortization of sand mines proposed by the town. In our battles, we were up against the “pre-existing use” free pass, and the town’s and village’s “maintenance” of the sites to dump whatever they chose to, and their reluctance to enforce existing laws, or impose any oversight, which allowed for all manner of activities to flourish. Thrown into the trenches, we learned firsthand how the public was ignored, then penalized; how the inspectors applied existing law selectively; how the ... by Staff Writer

Wonderful Turnout

On behalf of the Fourth of July Parade Committee and the Southampton Village Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events, I would like to thank the community for such a wonderful turnout for the Fourth of July parade. I would like to thank the Village of Southampton employees, police department and Chief Suzanne Hurteau, fire department and Chief Polis Walker, Volunteer Ambulance and Chief Christopher Epley, and the Board of Trustees and Mayor Bill Manger. I also would like to thank the large group of volunteers who stepped up this year when we were concerned that we were not generating enough support ... by Staff Writer

A More Nimble Plan

“It feels like Southampton has lost its soul.” That’s how one local merchant recently described the state of our village business district. Many would agree. Local businesses reported a soft July 4, but a much better July 5 and 6. Just a few miles away, East Hampton and Sag Harbor reported a record weekend. In East Hampton, stores are now staying open late to meet the demand. Southampton Village, by contrast, looked neglected. Trash swirled in the air. Sidewalks were stained and littered with candy wrappers and gum. Mismatched waste receptacles overflowed. This is not the look or feel of ... by Staff Writer

A Simpler Solution

It has taken me a few weeks to respond to the recent “Cup o’ Joe” newsletter, where Executive Editor Joe Shaw ventured onto an editorial limb, venting about village issues, particularly the controversy surrounding Pond Lane. Let’s set the record straight. First, a beautiful proposal, indeed, was submitted to convert the vacant parcel of land into a park. However, this initial proposal did not involve closing Pond Lane. The subsequent idea of transforming Pond Lane into a bike and walking path — what I regard as “the bike path to nowhere” — is impractical at best. You implied that I ... by Staff Writer

SAT Prep Course Offered by Child Care Center

The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center is offering an SAT prep course ahead of the August 23 test date. Classes will be held Mondays in July and August, with an additional session on Wednesday, August 13, from 6 to 9 p.m.
The cost is $40 and includes a workbook; scholarships are available. To register, email Camryn@bhccrc.org or call 631-537-0616. The center is located at 551 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.
“SAT Prep can be an important part of that journey,” said executive director Bonnie Michelle Cannon. by Staff Writer

Jazz Mass In Bridgehampton On Sunday

St Ann’s Episcopal Church on Main Street in Bridgehampton will host its annual Jazz Mass on Sunday, July 13, at 10 a.m. All are welcome. The band will include Ada Rovatti and Eric Schugren on saxophone; Mike Gari, guitar; John Mele, drums; and Steve Shaughnessy, bass. The choir will sing Bob Chilcott’s “Little Jazz Mass,” and all are encouraged to join in singing the hymns. A hospitality hour for all follows the service. by Staff Writer