The district commemorated the brave men and women who served the country on Memorial Day in an effort to continue teaching students the importance of Memorial Day during the pandemic.
Every year, the district invites Korean War veteran and present Commander of the Carle Place American Legion Post 1718 Al Piscitelli and his fellow Legionnaires to join the ceremony. After a few remarks, a wreath is respectfully placed by the district’s youngest student near the plaque that hangs outside the auditorium, which honors the four Carle Place students who perished in the Vietnam War. The district also remembers those who have died defending the nation in other wars, such as Korean War, World War II, World War I, and the nation’s current conflicts.
To replace the annual tradition, an email was sent out to members of the district community around noon, which is the same time the traditional ceremony takes place. The email asked community members to reflect on the names of the four students who walked the same Carle Place hallways, and honor those same brave men and women that came before them that also gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Below are the names of the four Carle Place students who perished in the Vietnam War:
• Corporal Howard Hugh Hominick, U.S. Army, died on April 27, 1968, in Kontum, South Korea, less than a year after graduating from Carle Place in June 1967.
• Ensign Paul Douglas Semplocino, U.S. Navy, Class of 1965, died in Thailand on May 15, 1971, while serving aboard the USS Shelton. He graduated from Carle Place in 1965.
• U.S. Marine Corps Captain Walter Roy Schmidt, Class of 1963, shot down and captured on June 9, 1968, in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. His body was never recovered.
• Specialist John William Thorp, U.S. Army, Class of 1965, died on Sept. 8, 1968 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.