LI ex-Marine sings at Citi

Hours before her special moment at Citi Field last night, Elizabeth Quinones stood by the dugout and talked about what it meant to her to be singing “God Bless America” on such a special night.

Quinones, who grew up in West Babylon, is a retired Marine Corps sergeant. Though she has sung at many large events, including a boxing match at Madison Square Garden, she said she felt especially proud to be singing about her country last night, just two days after the news that U.S. Navy SEALs had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

“It’s definitely a joyous moment,” she said. “I’m proud of the president for doing what he had to do, and I’m proud of our country. We lost a lot of people in 9/11, so it means a great deal to America that we captured this individual.”

Quinones was one of more than 4,000 former and current members of the armed services who attended last night’s Mets game against the Giants.

The Mets have had a special relationship to those in the armed services since Sept. 21, 2001, when Mike Piazza helped the Mets beat the Braves with an eighth-inning home run in the first baseball game played in New York since the attack on the World Trade Center.

To honor the men and women who have served, the Mets had members of five branches of armed service throw the first pitch. Mets players wore special hats with stars and stripes in the logo.

The team also gave away more than 4,000 tickets to military personnel and their friends and family. The first 2,000 tickets were distributed though the USO. In addition, the first 2,000 members of the military who showed a valid military ID received complimentary tickets for themselves and their guests.

Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz declined to comment on the specifics of what security measures were being taken for the game, but said that the fans’ security was always a top concern of the organization. Fans were being searched and wanded as they entered the stadium, and there were police with dogs walking around the perimeter of Citi Field.

Javier Rivera, an inactive member of the Marine Corps Reserve from Central Islip, is a big Mets fan and was thrilled to get free tickets. “I’m a big baseball fan. I was home watching the Mets vs. Philly when I heard the news,” said Rivera, who did two tours of duty, including one in Iraq. “It feels great to be here. And yes, it is a very emotional time.”

Members of the armed services weren’t the only ones feeling emotional yesterday. Sal Candiano of Baldwin was in the outfield holding a “We will never forget” sign. Candiano also brought that sign to the Mets game on Sept. 21, 2001 and has brought it to every game he has attended since.

“It was great. It was magical. It was electric,” Candiano said of the 2001 game. “Tonight, it’s a Tuesday night in May as opposed to a September evening right after the towers came down. There is a different buzz, of course, but the similarities are there.”

With Max Sass