Army Veterans to Lead Memorial Day Parade

Leading off this year’s Memorial Day Parade in Mastic Beach will be veterans George D. Barnes and Dawn Amato, two local residents who proudly served our country in the U.S. Army.

Army Veterans George Barnes and Dawn Amatoare the Grand Marshals of the Mastic Beach Memorial Day Parade.

A lifelong resident of Mastic Beach, Barnes graduated from William Floyd High School in 1964 and joined the Army three years later. Following basic training at Fort Jackson, SC, he was sent to the Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird, Md. where he trained as an Order of Battle Specialist and Interrogator. He was then deployed to My Tho in South Vietnam on the 75th Military Assistance Advisory Team as an Interrogator and served there for over a year. Along with another Army partner, he served with a company of South Vietnamese members on Search and Destroy missions to seek out the Viet Cong in various hamlets.

For his valorous service, George was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Army Commendation Medal and Vietnam Service Medal, as well as a Distinguished Service Award from the South Vietnamese government. He returned home in April of 1968.

Barnes’ father, George Sr., organized the Arthur H. Clune American Legion Post #1533 in Mastic Beach and served as its first Commander in 1946. His father signed George up as a member of the Post in 1967 while he was still serving in Vietnam. In 1970 George went on to lead the post becoming the youngest Vietnam era Commander in the state of New York. Following his term, he served 25 years as Treasurer of the post, Historian for over 30 years and is an honorary Life Member with 55 years of continuous membership. George's late brother, Calvin Barnes, also served as commander of Post #1533.

George retired after 40 continuous years working at Republic Airport. He is a member of the Lions International for over 20 years and is a member of the VFW Post 414 in Center Moriches, as well as a member of Chapter 11 of the Vietnam Veterans of America for 25 years.

George and his wife, Donna, are the proud parents of four adult children and many grandchildren.

Sergeant Amato served in various global hot spots including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia during her 21 years of service as a heavy equipment operator and mechanic. She’s a Desert Storm veteran and was responsible for transporting every type of military equipment used in the theater of battle, including artillery and ammunition.

Dawn also served as a combat medic and has logged over 300,000 miles behind the wheel in her service to the country. Her military career has taken her all over the world including Jordan and Honduras. Disabilities from burn pits and other military hazards has her relying on the assistance of a service dog, Peaches, which she received through Paws of War in Smithtown. The Sergeant has kept her hands on the wheel working as a bus driver in the Sachem school district. She is very active with veterans groups to assist her fellow service members with the difficulties they face returning to civilian life and coping with the scars of battle.

Starting at 11a.m., the parade will begin at Neighborhood and Commack roads and will head east to Mastic Beach Road and then west to Washington Road where it will end at the American Legion Post 1533, the event’s sponsor.

Army Veterans George Barnes and Dawn Amato will be the Grand Marshals of the Mastic Beach Memorial Day Parade.