
Coast Guard veteran in Seaford honored with car parade for 90th birthday

A parade of more than 40 cars came down Locust Avenue in Seaford on Saturday, honking horns and waving signs, to honor U.S. Coast Guard Korean War veteran Harvey Drucker on his 90th birthday.
“I didn’t know this was all for me,” Drucker said in shock. “Everybody in the neighborhood was here.”
That's exactly the reaction Drucker's son, David, had hoped for as he began coordinating the surprise parade two weeks ago with members of the U.S. Coast Guard from the local station at Jones Beach. Off-duty Coast Guard members joined with members of Drucker's family, friends and neighbors in the parade past his house.
Drucker, who lives with his wife Rita, thought he would be celebrating his birthday over Zoom with his two adult children, David Drucker and Rina Root, their spouses and three grandchildren.
But David felt the occasion called for something special, he said.
"He's had a huge influence on his family and his community," David Drucker said of his father, who spends his free time at Temple B'nai Torah in Wantagh.
Since the quarantine began, Harvey and Rita Drucker haven't been out of their house except for essential purposes, like food shopping and visits to the pharmacy, their son said.
Normally, the couple is very active at their synagogue and frequently take strolls at Jones Beach, David Drucker said.
"He's 90 but he acts like a 70-year-old," David Drucker said. "He has a tremendous amount of life in him."
Harvey Drucker, originally from Brooklyn, began his Coast Guard service in 1951. He served in the Korean War, during which as a seaman first class he helped escort President Harry S. Truman through the Panama Canal at Christmas and to Acapulco, Mexico, at New Year’s while on the USCGC Koiner.
He earned the Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Medal after her was honorably discharged in 1954.
During his time in service, he grew a love for the sea and moved his family in 1961 to Seaford, where he has remained for the last 59 years.
"He'll always be a sailor, always on the water," said David Drucker.
Harvey Drucker has another celebration coming up in June — his 65th wedding anniversary with Rita, who he met through a fellow Coast Guard seaman in the 50s.
So, what is the secret to a healthy 90 years?
“Luck,” Harvey Drucker said. “And somebody looking down on you.”