'Patriot Man' Gregory Waxman raises money for veteran causes
Gregory Waxman, also known as Patriot Man, became well known among his Malverne neighbors for jogging through the streets with an American flag during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
If you live in Malverne Village, chances are you’ve seen the gentleman many local residents call “Patriot Man.”
Malverne resident Gregory Waxman, 42, said he earned the nickname from people on social media who spotted him running through the village’s streets while holding an American flag during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was motivated to honor the country’s first responders and veterans, he said.
Since then, Waxman, a volunteer firefighter, has taken his patriotic efforts even further by creating the “Memorial Day Freedom 5k,” which last year attracted about 200 participants. It raised nearly $24,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2023, its inaugural year, he said. The funds have benefited organizations including the Nesconset nonprofit Paws of War and the American Legion Post 44 in Malverne, as well as the Malverne Fire Department.
“Everyone in the community really rallied around me,” Waxman said. “While running, I think of the valor of veterans and first responders past and present that make everyday activities that we take for granted happen. By running with the flag, I honor their sacrifice.”
Waxman, who operates an SAT tutoring business, said he started running in 2011 to lose weight and began participating in as many as 50 races and marathons a year across Long Island. One of his longest runs was part of a small group that traversed 50 miles overnight from Manhattan to Lake Ronkonkoma, where they concluded with the four-mile Michael Murphy Run Around the Lake.
He also ran 50 miles around the streets of Malverne with his neighbor Peter Hawkins, a wheelchair racer, in 2022. Most of the money raised from that event went to a service dog program through American Legion Post 44, an important cause for Waxman. His grandfather, Samuel Lefkowitz, served in the Army during World War II and rescued a service dog that he brought home from Germany, he said.
“It’s very humbling and makes you want to work harder to get more participants for the races and more sponsorships and donations to help impact the community,” Waxman said of the money he has raised.
Hawkins, 60, who is paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a car accident in his senior year of high school, said he has competed in hundreds of wheelchair races worldwide. He praised Waxman for his love of his country and community.
“His dedication, not just to running but to the country, is very cool,” Hawkins said. “People don’t realize just how hard it can be to have that flag with you while you’re running. I love how he represents the flag and the United States. I think it’s awesome.”
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
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