East Meadow War Veteran Honored by McKevitt

Assemblyman Tom McKevitt, R– East Meadow, recently hosted a Veterans Hall of Honor ceremony at the Williston Park American Legion Post 144.

Fourteen local veterans were honored for their service and sacrifice to the United States, including Gerard Barbosa from East Meadow.

“We owe the brave veterans of the United States Armed Forces a huge debt of gratitude for the sacrifices that they have made to secure the liberties that we enjoy today,” said McKevitt. “I am proud to have the opportunity to honor each and every one of these incredible individuals."

In March of 1941, Barbosa volunteered for the Navy. His destination: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he was a gunner’s mate on the U.S.S. Raleigh.

Until Dec. 6, 1941, America was not officially at war. That changed on Dec. 7. Remembering the “date which will live in infamy,” in the immortal words of President Franklin Roosevelt, Barbosa was relaxing on the Raleigh when the attack began that morning. He recalls bullets bouncing off the deck of the ship. Looking skyward, he saw the attacking Japanese planes overhead. Grabbing his gun, he began shooting at any moving target in the sky.  During the battle, a torpedo plane hit the Raleigh on its port side and a dive-bomber hit the ship. 

It was only due to the quick action of seamen, repairing holes in the ship in the midst of the raids, and tugboats that kept the ship afloat. Unbeknownst to Barbosa at the time, six Japanese planes were shot down during the battle.

After Pearl Harbor, Barbosa was sent to fight in Europe aboard a ship known as LST-157. Although his ship was involved in numerous raids, none compared to D-Day on June 6, 1944, the invasion of Normandy.

He remembers German planes flying overhead, eager to destroy the enemy, the Allied forces. Sadly, many soldiers died before they hit the beaches or soon after, from the weight of their packs, the sea or enemy gunfire. 

After his discharge from the Navy, one of the places Barbosa worked was Grumman Aerospace. While there, he helped build the Lunar Excursion Module that landed on the Moon July 20, 1969.

Barbosa and his wife Marie have two children and recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. He is a decorated Navy man and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.