John FealNesconset’s Responders Remembered 9/11 Park board members;)
held their first Annual Veterans Day Candlelight Vigil. The park located at 316 Smithtown Blvd, Nesconset has granite walls containing the names of people who responded to the tragic events of 9/11 and who died as a result of their service. Cancer has prematurely taken the lives of responders and John Feal, the creator of the park and president of the FealGood Foundation, has made it his mission in life to make sure that their lives and sacrifice is not forgotten.
;)
On this night, with the granite walls behind him and a huge pine tree decorated with red, white and blue lights in front of him, John Feal had another message he felt compelled to share. That message was that in this troubled world we need to remember and to focus on the many things that unite us. Mr. Feal’s Veterans Day message was regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, political affiliation, religion, economic circumstances, whether you are fat or skinny, we are Americans and we share American values.
Mr. Feal’s words were echoed by Martin Aponte, President of the Responders Remembered 9/11 Park and the speakers who followed. Before making brief 
comments Legislator Leslie Kennedy and husband John Kennedy, Suffolk County Comptroller stood in the crowd with their candles, freezing with everyone else. Their day started hours before when they attended the St. James Veterans Day Ceremony at 10 am followed by attending almost every other Veterans ceremony in the Town of Smithtown. Their day was long but their respect and support for Veterans was apparent. Town Clerk Vincent Puleo also spoke acknowedging our Veterans and giving thanks for their efforts to keep Americans safe.
The brief ceremony ended one-half hour after it started but John Feal’s message, that we are all Americans who can benefit by listening to each other and by speaking respectfully to each other, seemed to make the light from the candles a little brighter.