Islip supervisor Tom Croci set to return on Wednesday

State Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) will be among the welcoming crowd greeting returning Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci at his welcome-home party Wednesday at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Croci is returning from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan, where he served as U.S. Navy commander.

Zeldin plans to present Croci with a New York State Liberty Medal upon state Senate approval.

“This is Tom’s third deployment overseas,” said Zeldin, who is a major with the U.S. Army Reserves and has served overseas. “He has served honorably in the Navy for a long time and his community and country are grateful for his service -- as we are for all the men and women who volunteer to protect our country.”

Croci was deployed last summer, 16 months into his first term as town supervisor. He has had a long career in the military, including attending Navy Officer Candidate School and working in the White House situation room and serving on the Homeland Security Council staff.

He returns to a town rocked by an investigation into illegal dumping of toxic waste at the Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood and other locations.