TRACK HONORS NATION’S VETERANS
Saratoga Race Course conducts Military Appreciation Day festivities
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Keith Koster was all smiles when a horse aptly named Combat Controller won the third race, a highlight of Wednesday’s Saratoga Race Course Military Appreciation Day festivities.
Koster, the American Legion’s new state vice commander, was one of more than two dozen veterans, from World War II to the War on Terror, who greeted the Javier Castellano-ridden horse in the track’s Winner Circle.
How much did he bet?
“A whopping $2!” said Koster, of Saratoga Springs. “That’s all my wife allows me to bet each race.”
“That’s the last tip you’ll get from me,” joked fellow Legionnaire Dave Lockhart, of Corinth.
For all veterans on hand, the real payoff was the thanks thousands of track patrons showed them throughout the day.
“It’s great,” said county American Legion Commander Ed Burmaster, of Post 490 in Stillwater. “Veterans do a lot for our country. It’s nice when people appreciate us.”
Cpl. Donald Roy, of Long Island, and Sgt. Sergio Castillo, of Tampa, Fla., are part of a West Point color guard that took part in ceremonies.
“This is really nice,” Roy said. “It’s my first time in Saratoga.”
The soldiers and veterans present represented more than 70 years of U.S. military history.
John Moriarty, of Albany, was a P-38 fighter plane crew chief with the 5th Air Force in the Pacific during World War II.
“I was part of the Invasion of Leyte, in October 1944, when (General Douglas) MacArthur arrived in the Philippines,” he said.
Bud Ubare, of VFW Post 420 in Saratoga Springs, received a Purple Heart and Cross of Gallantry for his service with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam.
Several Korean War veterans also attended including Paul O’Keefe and friend, Mary Kuelzow, whose late husband, Jim, a U.S. Marine, fought at the infamous Chosin Reservoir in Korea.
Her son and daughter-inlaw, Robert and Betsy Kuelzow of Burnt Hills were married at West Point, which Robert graduated from.
Sam “The Bugler” Grossman treated veterans to patriotic songs such as “God Bless America” and “Anchors Aweigh.”
“You know why I get to do this?” said Grossman, whose father served in Korea. “Because of you guys. Thank you so much.”
All active service members and veterans were given free grandstand admission. When gates opened, performers from the USO Show Troupe greeted guests with patriotic songs at the clubhouse entrance.
Throughout the day, the track’s Community Outreach Booth hosted Jewish War Veterans Post 36 of Saratoga Springs, a nonprofit organization that brings together military veterans of all eras in the greater Saratoga Jewish community to offer support on issues relating to veterans.
Several military-related organizations were represented at the Saratoga Pavilion including Blue Star Mothers, A Beacon of Love, Disabled American Veterans, Gurtler Brothers VFW Post 420, Lansingburgh VFW, New York Army National Guard, Patriot Flight, Saratoga Springs American Legion Post 70, Stars for Our Troops, the U.S. Navy, and the Veterans Business Council.
Koster, a member of Post 70, plans to attend The American Legion’s national convention in Reno, Nev. next month.
“That’s where we’ll get our orders from the new national commander,” he said.
At the state level, Koster said the Legion has several veterans-related bills pending in the Legislature, which will come up for discussion next year. One would promote and provide funding for more holistic types of treatment instead of medications alone.
“We want to get bills passed in that area,” Koster said.