By karl vilacoba
Staff Writer
KARL VILACOBA Disabled American Veterans members Nick Mannino (l-r), Frank Longo, James Robinson, Jim Williams and Roy DeLoy raise money outside Wal-Mart in Howell last Friday.
HOWELL — For a group of local armed service veterans, Labor Day weekend was time for a labor of love.
Members of the Brick-based Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 20 continued their summer-long "forget-me-not" flower drive Friday in front of the Wal-Mart in Howell. Donors were given American flags and artificial flowers — blue and gold to symbolize their organization.
The average shopper may come across a Disabled American Veterans stand, drop a few coins in the can and move on without another thought. But several chapter members said that the public’s generosity is vital to their mission.
"We help each other out; we look out for vets in need, and we do a good job doing it," said DAV Chapter 20 Commander Nick Mannino, of Toms River.
The national DAV was formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932. It now numbers more than 1 million members, according to the organization’s Web site. The DAV is not funded by the government, but is supported by membership dues and contributions made by the public.
The majority of the proceeds collected by the local chapter during these flower drives helps pay for the medical care of disabled armed service veterans at five New Jersey hospitals and nursing homes, said DAV Chapter 20 Adjutant James Robinson, of Brick.
Robinson was in pain last week from a spinal condition — sustained during his Army service in 1968 — but still managed to join chapter members Friday to take part in the drive he helped organize.
The local chapter set up similar flower drives throughout the summer in area towns such as Toms River, Brick, Point Pleasant and Howell. Others are being planned for days leading up to Veterans Day in November, Robinson said.
Membership in the DAV is open to any honorably discharged veteran with a disability incurred in wartime military service or conditions similar to war. Mannino, a Navy veteran who took part in the WWII landing at Normandy Beach, said he was injured after his ship hit a mine off France and sunk in 1945.
The local chapter has 980 members, mostly from Ocean and Monmouth counties, Mannino said. Members of the service organization say they enjoy the social facets of membership, such as the camaraderie among members and the interaction with the public.
"As long as I’ve done this, when people lean over to put their money in the can, I always say, ‘Thank you.’ And they say, ‘No –– thank you,’" DAV New Jersey Department Legislative Chairman Roy DeLoy said. "And ever since 9/11, it’s more so."