LIers mark Memorial Day with remembrances

Memorial Day dawned dreary, with thunderstorms drenching parts of Long Island. But before noon, the sun broke through -- almost as if to honor the war dead who are the focus of a holiday that dates back to the Civil War era.

Parades and barbecues marked the unofficial start of summer Monday as Long Islanders marched down Main Streets, recalled absent comrades, fished or just basked in suddenly hot temperatures.

In Freeport, a man once held in a Nazi prisoner of war camp led the parade and grieved for his childhood friends from Brooklyn who never made it home from World War II. In Queens, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo urged Americans to remember what the holiday is "all about."

And in Northport, another man, like many across Long Island, simply savored an extra day off, enjoying warm breezes and listening to music as he sat beneath a tree.

Fit to lead a parade

The red Grand Marshal sash just wouldn't fit right. Without a pin, June Rader tried to knot it -- then tape it -- around her husband, Bernard, a World War II veteran once held 47 days in a Nazi prison camp.

Freeport's Memorial Day parade was minutes from the start, but the 87-year-old honoree wasn't worried. He had other things on his mind.

"Honey," said Bernard Rader, "forget about it."

Although the retired accountant called his role in the village's parade a great honor, he wanted to make sure people didn't lose the day's true meaning. "I want to grieve for all the guys," he said, a reference to childhood friends from Brooklyn who didn't return home from World War II.

These days, Rader, who received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, and his wife of 59 years still speak often at area churches, libraries and schools, stressing the importance of service. He tells his story of being an Army POW in occupied France, having civilians sneak him food to prevent starvation.

In 2007, France officially thanked Rader, inducting him into that country's Legion of Honor. French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented a medal during a trip to Washington. "That was the most exciting thing that ever happened," beamed June Rader, 81. "Sarkozy kissed him on both cheeks."

'Honor all of the soldiers'

Margaret Rodriguez, 69, of Central Islip, stood under the trees at Calverton National Cemetery where she, her daughter and her two granddaughters have been coming for the past six years on Memorial Day. This year, she came thinking especially of her brother, Ralph Scarangello, a Vietnam Army veteran. Scarangello, 67 of Florida, died in February.

"I always take a picture of the soldiers that are carrying the flag and the banner for the Vietnam War and then I would send him a picture," Rodriguez said, wiping tears. "I just like to honor all of the soldiers for the freedom we have in this country."

Rodriguez said she was pleased that this year, Americans can also mark the death of Osama bin Laden, and she added that they must think of servicemen and women more. "There is not enough honor paid to our soldiers," she said. "Freedom is not free. The soldiers should be our number one concern always."

In Queens, at the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, Cuomo concurred: "Remember what it's all about: It's the memory of people who served this nation, generations of people who gave their lives to protect us, and the men and women of the armed services."

Keeping it mellow

Still, for other Long Islanders, Memorial Day was a chance to rest up and savor the start of the summer weather. At Cow Harbor Park in Northport, Bob Feine, 70, reclined on a beach chair under a tree. His shoes were off, a song was playing on his radio, and a cold drink rested by his side.

Feine was marking Memorial Day with his favorite vacation activity: doing as little as possible. "I've been sitting here all day long," he said. "It's a beautiful day."

On the water, Keith Gallagher, 43, of Kings Park was teaching his son Jack, 11, how to fish. "We decided to come down and try our luck," Gallagher said. He said the two were trying to catch "snapper -- or anything at this point."

Pride and pageantry

In Long Beach, spectators lined the streets waving American flags and clapping as the parade made its way from West Beech Street toward New York Avenue and on to West Park Avenue.

This year's march paid tribute to Vietnam veterans, who led the line of the parade. Long Beach resident Ralph Barrone, 66, a retired Navy reservist said: "It's a very special day, to remember that we've given so many of our brothers and sisters to wars."