Students honor veteran who tirelessly returns to Hampton Bays

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — Hampton Bays students continued a cherished tradition of saluting local veterans this month.

In its mission to remove the story from the textbooks, the Hampton Bays School District paid tribute to Salvatore Traversa during a March 22 ceremony.

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 was raised in honor of Traversa.

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

His biography in the area is rich with details about 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 biography said.

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

He met with the Marine recruiter at Huntington and once he enlisted, he was sent to Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, for initial processing and then flown to Paris Island for boot camp. Traversa said it was his first time on a plane — and it didn't take him long to experience many things for the first time, the biography said.

“After a week of processing, Sal began twelve weeks of basic training, which is between
toughest of all services. Like many veterans, specific events remain ingrained in his
memory. He particularly remembers the gas chamber drill, designed to show what tear gas
the exposure was how to perform under these extreme conditions. Reminded that every man inside
his platoon completed the task, but was gasping for air and suffering from other side effects
experience. On a lighter note, he recalls a short drill instructor standing on tiptoe
and rub the top of a recruit's head as he shouted instructions at him,” the bio said.

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

“Anyone who has ever fired a 45 knows how difficult this feat was,” the bio said.

“In October 1973, Sal graduated as a bona fide United States Marine having earned the coveted
eagle, orb and anchor. After a 10-day leave, he reported for Camp training
Lejune, North Carolina as a field radio operator with responsibility for calling in fire dispatches for
105 and 155 howitzer batteries to support ground operations. Every rifle in the
The Marines expected these radio operators to be as fast and, more importantly, as accurate as their
lives depend on them. Sal delivered every time while assigned to both India and Mike
Batteries, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd Marine Division,” the resume said.

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

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

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

Since his retirement, he has made tremendous contributions to the Hampton Bays community. He volunteers as a lecturer and Eucharist minister at St. Rosalie works at 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 of great support to grieving families,” the district said. As a member of American Legion Post 924, he serves as post chaplain and color guard member, performing many town and school functions.

He is also an avid angler and fisherman in the East End. He recently purchased a new boat and is patiently waiting to launch it this spring.

“Sal loved the Marine Corps hymn, especially the last verse that says, 'If the army and the

The Navy ever looked at scenes of paradise. they will find that the roads are guarded by the United States
Marines,” the district said.

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