Airman 1st Class Walt Maresco kept things rolling during his time in the Air Force, driving trucks in Vietnam and Okinawa.
“I drove everything they had, big rigs, trucks, anything that rolled,” the Medford resident said. He enlisted in 1964 at age 20 when the war was starting to heat up and signed up for electronics school at the Lackland Base in Texas. “The sergeant asked for two volunteers and picked the guys in the front row where l was sitting before anyone could say anything,” Maresco remembered. “So instead of technical school, l was sent to Vietnam as part of the motor pool.”
The Airman was assigned to Cam Ranh Bay, located on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, a highly significant site during the war due to its strategic location and natural deep-water harbor. The bay, near the South China Sea, provided a crucial logistical and operational base for U.S. forces.
It was a busy place where Naval and Air Operations conducted reconnaissance and combat missions across South Vietnam and beyond. The deep-water harbor also allowed large naval vessels to dock and refuel, and also served as a medical and rest facility.
As a defensive location, Cam Ranh allowed U.S. forces to project power across the region while remaining somewhat protected from ground-based attacks due to the surrounding mountains and its location on the coast.
After his service, Maresco worked as a lineman with the phone company and provided security at Suffolk health clinics. He’s currently serving as an investigator with the Brookhaven Attorney’s Office, keeping the town free of illegal signs and posters. He’s also worked with the Brookhaven Parks Police.
As a proud veteran, Maresco marches in local parades and goes on his own walk every year on Memorial Day, saying prayers for those who never made it home. “I go out no matter the weather. They didn’t have a choice, so I honor them rain or shine,” the soldier says, noting that he’s sometimes joined by residents and elected officials such as Town Councilman Neil Foley.
Maresco takes care of various monuments in his community, including those at his VFW post, which is also home to the American Legion, Medford’s Veterans Park, and the memorial to World War I veteran William Toth. He is a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, attending services and events for fellow veterans, and takes care of the lawns and snow shoveling for former soldiers who need assistance. A member of the Medford Chamber of Commerce, Medford Taxpayers and Civic Association, and Yaphank Historical Society, Maresco helps take care of local churches, including St. Sylvesters, where he is an usher.
The Air Force vet served as Commander of the SSG Keith Bishop VFW Post 2937 for a year and, for the last eight years, has been the Commander of American Legion Post 1856, named for John R. Cacioppo, a friend who was killed in Vietnam. “He was the only male student who signed my high school yearbook,” Maresco notes. In February, he will travel to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to be sworn in as a 4th Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus, which is recognizing him for his patriotism.
He met his wife, Susan, at Patchogue-Medford High School and has been married for 54 years. They have three sons and six grandchildren. In his spare time, Maresco is an artist who paints ladybugs, which he gifts to his friends.