Engaging our local retired veterans and their special stories of military service – The South Shore Press

Engaging our local retired veterans and their special stories of military service  The South Shore Press

I had the opportunity to meet several veterans residing at The Bristal Assisted Living at Mount Sinai. On Oct. 23, 2027, I had the opportunity to meet several veterans residing at The Bristal Assisted Living at Mount Sinai. The first veteran was 93-year-old John Kirch Jr., who grew up near the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Fort Greene. Kirch was a talented baseball shortstop who attended Metropolitan Vocational High School and graduated in 1951. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and served from 1952 to 1956. Ordered to Sampson Air Force Base, Kirch recalled that it was “cold as hell.” Kirch trained as a radar mechanic at the electronics school in Biloxi, Mississippi.

He also played baseball in a Special Services military championship game in Morocco and competed against future New York Yankees catcher Elston Howard. He visited New Orleans, served at Bentwaters Air Force Base in England and traveled to France and Germany. Kirch married, raised a family and lived in Copiague, Smithtown and Florida. Louis DeMartinis is also a 93-year-old Brooklyn native who played football and softball. After high school, DeMartinis entered the United States Marine Corps and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina. While detesting the bugs in the South, DeMartinis maintained Marine Corps aircraft and was promoted to sergeant. After leaving the service, DeMartinis became