Community Corner

Ceremony for Bridge Renaming Set for March 25

Denise Ford and Ed Mangano to hold event recognizing Michael Valente, Long Beach's lone Medal of Honor recipient, at City Hall.

A ceremony to formerly recognize the renaming of the Long Beach Bridge to Michael Valente Memorial Bridge will be held in the city next month.

Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford, County Executive Ed Mangano and the Valente family are among those will attend the ceremony at Long Beach City Hall at 11 a.m. on March 25, when signs bearing the World War I veteran’s name will be unveiled.

Michael Valente is the only Long Beach resident decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor — the highest award for valor given to a member of the U.S. armed forces for actions against an enemy force — which the infantryman earned for his heroic acts against German forces at the Hindenburg line near Ronssoy, France. Sept. 29, 1918.

Find out what's happening in Long Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Long Beach Bridge is under Nassau County's jurisdiction, and after Valente’s grandson, Long Beach resident Ralph Madalena, wrote the county requesting the renaming, the County Legislature voted unanimously last July to rename the bridge to Michael Valente Memorial Bridge.

"I was really gratified, obviously, that it honors my grandfather," said Madalena about the renaming. "Of course, my family is really happy and I'm proud of what my grandfather did and is a war hero."

Ford said that while some people asked that the bridge be renamed Veterans Memorial Bridge, she believes that attaching an exceptional individual's name to it calls more attention to the entire military.

"Just as someone like Rosa Parks became a face for the Civil Rights movement," Ford explained, "renaming a bridge after someone like Michael Valente puts an important name and face on an important historical event, and brings attention to what all our military personnel do for us in protecting our freedoms."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here