Brewster VFW Honors Local Students for Their Patriotism

Top: VFW Senior Vice Commander and PUTNAm COUNTY COURIER Pastimes columnist Steven Mattson (right) presents a plaque to Brandon Vuto as his parents and Brewster VFW Commander Harry Sherblom look on. PHOTOS BY ERIC GROSS The weather outside was positively frightful—cold, damp, and snowy—yet inside the Brewster VFW Hall, some 50 people gathered in a warm atmosphere to recognize the patriotism of three area students.

Brandon Vuto of Southeast, a 7th grader at the Henry Wells Middle School in Brewster, Meredith Perettine, another 12-year-old seventh grader residing in Southeast who attends class at the North Salem Middle School, and Mike Garone of Croton, a senior at Croton-Harmon High School, were this year’s winners of the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen scholarship contests.

Patriot’s Pen is a nationwide competition that gives students in grades 6, 7, and 8 the opportunity to express their views on democracy. VFW Senior Vice Commander Steven Mattson told the awards ceremony Friday night that the winners were selected from 22 applicants for the Patriot’s Pen competition and eight from the Voice of Democracy essay contest locally. More than 115,000 students participated nationwide.

Above: Mike Garone receives a certificate for his first-place essay from Mattson. Each of the young people wrote an original composition dealing with veterans. Brandon’s topic centered on the theme “Honoring an American Hero.” The young man said “veterans must be honored and recognized daily, not only on holidays. They have done so much and sacrificed so, to keep us all free.”

Meredith’s essay also lauded the sacrifices and efforts made daily by veterans each and every day of the year. Both winners were presented with $200 checks and commemorative plaques for their efforts.

Left: Meredith Perettine beams with pride as she is congratulated by her parents, Joe and Hilary Perettine of Southeast. Voice of Democracy is an audio-essay contest for high school students designed to foster patriotism by allowing young men and women to voice their opinion in a three- to five-minute essay on an annual theme.

Mike called the $500 scholarship received from the post “fantastic. This is a great honor. My topic ‘Does America still Have Great Heroes?’ allowed me to tell the world that America is filled with hero veterans—those who received honors, and others who served day-today without recognition, but knowing their service made a difference.”

Mike entered the Putnam competition even though he resides some 35 miles away in Croton-on-Hudson because no VFW post closer to his home sponsored this year’s contest. “I was determined to write an essay regardless of the geography,” he said.

Mattson said all three essays were “top notch.”

The essays were so impressive that Meredith and Mike even won the Putnam County competition.