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NORTHPORT
Heros
Name Shines For Starlit Drive
Town
honors Marine 25 years after death in Lebanon
By Luann Dallojacono/
ldallojacono@longislandernews.com
Years ago, Starlit
Drive in Northport was a block where there were more than enough
children to field two baseball teams. A block with an open door
policy, where parents had to develop different methods to call their
kids home, ranging from a loud whistle to the ringing of a bell.
Now that block has been renamed for one of its own, Captain Joseph
Boccia, Jr. a Marine who lost his life serving in Beirut 25 years
ago.
In a ceremony last Wednesday April 30, children, neighbors, relatives,
town officials and local veterans groups gathered to rename Starlit
Drive in honor of Boccia, who grew up on the block. At the service
were Boccias brothers James, who now lives in New Hampshire,
and Ray, who lives in Northport with his family.
Ray described his older brother as an energetic guy with a passion
for fun and adventure that was unparallel. A 1973 Northport High
School graduate, Joseph was a track star and attended Syracuse University
on an athletic scholarship. As a student there he joined the Reserve
Officer Training Corps (ROTC), which gave him the option to enlist
in officers candidate school upon graduation, but he chose
a different route.
In his mind he said, If Im going in, Im
going in as an enlisted man, said Ray.
Joseph went on to train at Parris Island, South Carolina, and moved
up in rank to First Lieutenant. On a fateful day in October of 1983,
Joseph, along with 241 others, was killed on a peacekeeping mission
in Lebanon when a suicide bomber drove a truck full of explosives
into the U.S. Marine barracks. He was posthumously promoted to captain.
Town officials elected to rename the street after Northport police
chief Ric Bruckenthal approached the board with the idea. Bruckenthal,
who lost his son in 2004 in Iraq, is one of Rays neighbors.
It is an honor to name Starlit Drive in recognition of the
sacrifice made by Capt. Joseph J. Boccia, Jr. who gave his life
for his country and so that we can live in peace, said Huntington
Town Supervisor Frank Petrone. I encourage people to stop
at this sign and reflect on Capt. Boccias memory and what
he stood for in life. It is a fitting reminder of the sacrifices
that our military makes every day to protect our freedom and least
that we can do to preserve his memory.
Ray said its an honor to have the Town rename the block that
served as a source of so many fond memories for him, his five siblings,
and the multitude of other children who grew up there.
The funny thing about it was everybody had a partner,
said Ray. We were all the same age, so everybody just paired
up. It was almost magical the way everyone kind of had someone to
be a best friend.
Ray, the youngest Boccia child, said he and his siblings, all about
a year apart, also paired off. His two sisters tended to stick together,
as did his two middle brothers, James and Joseph.
Their goal in life was try to get me, Ray joked. And
my oldest brother Rich used to be my protector.
Though Rays three daughters never got to meet their uncle
Joseph, they are familiar with his tale. The new street signs
location near the well-traveled Norwood Road may even make the girls,
who bear the same last name as their uncle, the go-to sources for
people wondering who Joseph Boccia was.
Theyll be able to retell the story of my brother over
and over again, said Ray.
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