West Babylon teen's Eagle Scout project is a lasting tribute to vets 

Colin Reiff and other members of Boy Scout Troop 104 have been helping out veterans at American Legion Post 94 in Babylon Village for years, with landscaping, cleaning up and whatever else needed to be done.

On Saturday, veterans, local elected officials and others watched as Reiff’s permanent tribute to veterans was dedicated in front of the post: a 5-foot, 2-inch-tall black granite monument that expresses gratitude for “your service and your sacrifice.”

The 1,400-pound monument is Reiff’s Eagle Scout project.

“I feel like nowadays veterans don’t get as much respect and honor as they deserve,” said Reiff, 16, of West Babylon.

Reiff designed the monument and then spent months raising about $7,000 to build and install it, asking local businesses for help and setting up tables on sidewalks in West Babylon to collect donations ranging from 50 cents to $100. North Lindenhurst-based Wellwood Memorials crafted the monument for half the usual price, he said.

“It’s a fantastic job all around,” said World War II veteran Gabe Crenci, 92, of West Islip, a Post 94 member who served as an Army staff sergeant in Italy. “Veterans who come here for the next 100 years will see this. It represents all of us who served with honor.”

Etched in white on the monument are representations of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine and Coast Guard seals and the phrase “all gave some, some gave all.”

“Through their courage and willingness to give all for their country we owe them our gratitude, because without them we could not have our freedoms to enjoy today,” Reiff said at the dedication ceremony.

Reiff’s project follows that of his older brother Liam, 18, who spearheaded the creation of a 9/11 memorial at West Babylon High School that was dedicated in September 2018.

Reiff “has had a passion for veterans” since he was a child, hearing stories about his grandfathers — one was a World War II veteran, the other a Korean War veteran, said his mother, Sheila Reiff, 58. They died before he was born.

Reiff said he wishes the country did more for its living veterans, such as for the tens of thousands of homeless veterans — nearly 38,000 nationwide, according to a January 2018 federally coordinated count — who he said aren’t being given the care they deserve.

Marybeth LoVerso, 53, a history teacher at West Babylon High who has had Reiff in two classes, said it’s not surprising that Reiff is so sensitive to how veterans are treated and chose a project that honors them.

“He’s always been very compassionate about the plight of others,” she said.