Clifford Doering, a 98-year-old WWII Marine Corps veteran who served in combat in the Battle of Okinawa, was honored as the Veteran of the Day at the NY Mets vs Pittsburgh Pirates game at Citi Field on April 17.
Doering was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens but has been a Hicksville resident for over 70 years. He was accompanied to the game by his daughter, MaryAnn Doering of Marietta, GA, his nephew, Frank Marinace of Center Moriches, and his fellow Marine, Ed Baulch of Syosset.
When chilly breezes blew through the stadium, Doering remarked repeatedly how grateful he was to be bundled in a fleece Mets blanket given to him by his daughter, Christine Paradiso of Massapequa Park.
When it was time for the veteran’s big moment on the field, the event director instructed him where and when he was to turn to wave to the crowd. Doering, always a Marine, replied: “I will salute, not wave.”
After photos of Doering in military service were shown on the Jumbotron, Mets pitcher Sean Manaea presented him with a framed American flag which had been flown over Citi Field.
Although he was honored and pleased with this huge recognition, Doering remarked, “The real heroes are the ones who didn’t make it home.”
Later, during the car ride back to Hicksville, after a 9-to-1 Mets victory and with predicted rainfall just beginning, Doering tightened his fleece blanket around his shoulders and said, “What a great day. That was really something. I had no idea.”
Doering will also be honored for his 99th birthday at a celebration at the Marine Corps Sunrise Detachment in Massapequa on Saturday, May 18.
—Submitted by MaryAnn Doering
