Trumpet player David Krokowski echos taps at the Vietnam War Dignity Memorial which appears in the background.

HICKSVILLE, NY:  The US Coast Guard Auxiliary Band from Flotilla-22-7 provided the music for the Vietnam War Dignity Memorial Opening Ceremony Saturday, June 7 in Hicksville, NY.  The Vietnam Dignity Memorial Wall, a 3/4 scale, traveling replica of the actual memorial in Washington, D.C., was on display in the Hicksville Sears parking lot from Friday June 6th through Sunday June 8th, 2008. 

The Wall honors the over 58,000 Americans who died or are missing in Vietnam.  The memorial ceremony included an honor guard procession, invocation, and the playing of taps, the National Anthem, and each of the five military anthems.

Trumpeter Dave Krokowski  plays taps after the reading of the names the citizens from Oyster Bay, NY that are either missing or died in the Vietnam conflict.

Later in the day the name of each Vietnam veteran killed or missing in action from the Town of Oyster Bay was read aloud, followed by a moment of silence and the playing of echo taps by trumpeters Dave Krokowski and Steven DeJuri from the Flotilla 22-7 Band.

The black, 8 foot high, faux-granite replica is 240 foot long and its mirror like surface is inscribed with the names of the Americans who died or are missing in Vietnam.  This will be an opportunity for residents who have been unable to visit the site in Washington, D.C. to experience the solemnity and dignity of the wall.

The Band rehearses in Northport, NY and is always looking for more patriotic musicians to add to its ranks.

Further information about the band can be found on the website at www.uscgauxband.com.

--WML

Three generations of defenders of our freedom, Auxiliarist David Krokowski, Auxiliarist and US Navy veteran Bob Williams, and Robert Schmidt, Vietnam Veteran stand together during the memorial ceremony.