Knights honor military and service agencies

By DAVID HULSE

YULAN, NY — With nothing to investigate or protect, no fire to fight or blood flow to staunch, and no enemies in sight, Sunday’s gathering of military, police, fire and EMS personnel at St. Anthony’s Church was a strange sight for one accustomed to seeing them all on active duty.

Dozens of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel joined members of state, county and local police agencies, and active and retired military veterans in celebrating the third annual Blue Mass.

Those in attendance included assemblywoman Aileen Gunther; county court judge Frank LaBuda; his wife, legislator Kathy LaBuda; Sullivan County Sheriff Dan Hogue and former sheriff Joe Wasser.

Knights of Columbus program organizer Tony LaRuffa said the turnout was the largest so far. “If it gets any bigger, we may have to move down to the ball field,” he added.

The John Cardinal O’Connor Council of the Knights of Columbus began the Blue Mass service following the September 11, 2001 attacks to show the community’s appreciation for the efforts of its emergency services agencies.

Rev. Father Louis Iasiello, chief of the Navy’s chaplain corps and the son of Highland resident Hazel Iasiello, celebrated the mass. Iasiello commented that media seems to concentrate on our society’s flaws and dysfunctionality, but he said 9/11 showed how well things do work. “People banded together to help one another, selflessly…. They proved once again that our American society does work, despite its flaws. They responded merely because it was the right thing to do…. You are the reason why society works…. God bless you for the great work you do for all of us,” he said.

Charles Myers, a founder and 56-year member of the Eldred American Legion Ambulance Service spoke about why people join these services. Is it for the uniforms, the lights and sirens? Why do they risk injury fighting fires and enforcing the law? Why do emergency medical workers undergo hundreds of hours of training?

Myers said a questionnaire filled out by all potential ambulance service members pointedly asks those questions. Some answer “to help others,” or “to give something back to the community,” or “to make a difference.” He recalled one candidate who answered that “everyone should join some organization to help those in need.”

“Isn’t that the basic reason?” he asked.

Myers concluded by quoting Mahatma Ghandi who said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”