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Proud Air Force Vet of 4 Decades Pays Lifelong Homage to the American Flag
By Neil A. Carousso, Special to ConnectingVets.com and WCBS Newsradio 880
VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. — Whenever James Cunningham sees the American flag, he salutes.
Cunningham is a retired senior master sergeant with the U.S. Air Force. His 41 years of service to our nation spans active duty and Air National Guard service.
“I know the history of our country, I know what went into the first flag when it came up, and it’s always been a symbol of our country and the way that we live and I’m proud to be part of that,” Cunningham said.
Congress authorized the United States Flag on June 14, 1777, which is now observed as Flag Day.
The flag was first flown during the American Revolution at Fort Stanwix, on the site of the present city of Rome, New York, on August 3, 1777. It was first under fire for three days later in the Battle of Oriskany.
“I’ve seen a lot of flags and a lot of people who are as proud as I am and I see by the way they display it,” Cunningham said.
When the American Flag is not displayed “properly,” Cunningham politely speaks up because presentation of the flag is essential to the veteran as a representation of our republic.
Recently, Cunningham was going into a restaurant when he noticed the flag on a home next door was “disreputable” because it was in “tatters.”
“When I left the restaurant, I stopped and I rang the doorbell and the homeowner came to the door and I said, ‘Ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve noticed that flag flying there, but it really isn’t a good idea to keep it up the way it is because it’s torn,’” Cunningham said.
Cunningham told the woman that she was “embarrassing” herself by displaying the American flag in such a poor condition. “You’re not giving it the proper respect,” Mr. Cunningham recalled telling her.
She told him that she had a new flag, but she was unable to replace it herself, so Mr. Cunningham put it up for her, replacing the old flag and giving the ripped flag a proper retirement.
“I told her, ‘You can be proud of that flag now and I’m proud that I was able to help you with that,’” Cunningham recalled, with a smile on his face.
When Mr. Cunningham walks in parades with the Knights of Columbus, he marvels at the American flag and salutes the 13 red and white stripes – representing the 13 British colonies that declared independence from Great Britain – and the 50 white stars on the sea of blue that symbolizes the 50 states.
Cunningham lights up when he spots the flag like the solar-powered landscape spotlight that shines on his flag at nighttime from the edge of the bushes on his manicured lawn.
“I salute when I come home,” said Cunningham, whose children used to tease him when they were younger, but now, they understand why he pays his respects to the flag.
As he gazed at Old Glory delicately waving in the breeze in front of his Valley Stream, Long Island home, as the sun set on a beautiful spring Friday evening, Mr. Cunningham turned his head slightly, so he could still see the flag, flashed a smile, and exclaimed, “I’m proud it’s my flag.”
Ret. Sr. Master Sgt. James Cunningham proudly wears his uniform that still fits nearly 23 years after he was discharged. A Life of Service
Cunningham was discharged in July 1995 when he turned 60 years old. His tailor-made Air Force dress uniform still fits today at age 83; he proudly wore it in his Nassau County home, where he started a life with his late wife Mary, eight miles from where he was raised in Queens.
“I wish my wife were here to share this moment with me,” Cunningham said while visibly holding back tears. “We were married for 47 years, we didn’t quite make 50, but she was my inspiration, and as far as the service went, she was with me 100 percent.”
Mr. Cunningham has kept the last rose that was by Mary’s bedside when she passed 10 years ago. He keeps it in a tea cup with “Mary” inscribed in script. A blessing to Mr. Cunningham, the rose has not disintegrated. The rose and tea cup sit atop his living room fireplace adjacent to pictures of his loving family, including his eldest daughter who fell ill from a 9/11-related cancer as she worked on Wall Street and inhaled the smoke that engulfed Lower Manhattan.
Far from despondent, Cunningham is proud, especially of his country that has afforded him a sense of purpose, joy and gratitude. He keeps himself busy with the American Legion and Knights of Columbus organizations, while also serving as an extraordinary minister at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, which is down the street from Cunningham’s home in Valley Stream.
“My service life endeared me for the rest of my life. It taught me things that came very handy in civilian life,” said Mr. Cunningham.
See more stories at ConnectingVets.com
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WCBS Small Business Breakfast Showcases WeWork, AI Company & More
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (WCBS 880) — Small business owners from the Tri-State area gathered at the Meadowlands Hilton in East Rutherford, New Jersey for a morning full of networking and business tips Thursday at the WCBS Delta Dental Of New Jersey Small Business Breakfast, hosted by WCBS 880’s business reporter Joe Connolly.
“I just love these days because we get so much energy and ideas from the people here, exchanging what’s working for them and whose business is up and why,” Connolly, host of WCBS 880’s Small Business Spotlight mini-series, said.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1577326709056633/
The theme of the breakfast was “How To Think About Your Business in New Ways.”
Special guests at the event included Rui Barros, Senior Vice President and Head of Operations US/Canada East/Tri-State of WeWork, as well as Tyler Mathisen, CNBC Business News Anchor. Before the breakfast kicked off, Mathisen spoke to WCBS 880’s Steve Scott on air with Wayne Cabot and Paul Murnane about the positive economic atmosphere the country has been experiencing recently.
“I am hearing optimism. I think when you hear the chairman of the Federal Reserve yesterday say that the American economy is great that is not usually what you hear from the very circumspect heads of the U.S. central banks. So when he says something like that that sets the tone and you can see it reflected here. More businesses are hiring than not hiring,” Mathisen said. “More businesses are expanding than not expanding. And so you see a lot of sort of optimism in the crowd today the turnout is good, the turnout is great.”
.@JoeConnollybiz starts the #WCBSBizBreakfast with 3 Things to Know:
1. “Small Business” is outdated. It should be called “independent business.”
2. More successful fast growing small businesses now than ever.
3. “I saw an opening” is a common theme among “Spotlight” guests. pic.twitter.com/gfqiqEzX85
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) June 14, 2018
Among the many successful small businesses showcased at the event was Satisfi Labs, an artificial intelligence company that “made physical location a live search engine.” Founder and CEO Don White explained how he found his unique idea and turned it into a reality.
“We saw an opening, and we looked at physical locations like a Jet game, a Broadway show, musical concert, retail store. A comment was mentioned about personalization of trying to find a person. Well when you walk into a place like that how easy is it to try and find a person? So you use artificial intelligence to enable a mobile device to locate and find things, services or purchase decisions you want to make in large physical areas. So we leverage artificial intelligence to essentially make a physical location a live search engine,” White said.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1577492379040066/
Satisfi Labs, which has high-end clients including the New York Mets, has created software that allows users to find what they want when they want it directly from the source. Whether you’re a fan in a sporting arena looking for the closest peanut concession or a shopper looking for a certain shirt at the mall, users can log onto Satisfi Labs and search for their products. White explained this as training the “perfect employee,” then placing it into consumers’ phones, allowing them to find what they need immediately and without any issues.
“So it’s like training your perfect employee, putting it in your phone and then that property or asset owner is telling you what they want you to know, not a third-party search engine that scrapes websites,” White said.
To showcase his business model, White presented the “fan in a stadium” example, explaining that with Satisfi Labs spectators do not have to search all over the arena for a specific concession. Rather, they can search on Satisfi Labs’ venue information to find the exact location.
“Provide a way for you to get what you want on demand from your seat or when you’re going to the stadium so you don’t have to find a person, and you can get it all on your phone,” White said.
In addition, Gary Stout spoke about his company Buzzworthy Studio, which helps consumers expand and establish their digital brands.
This year marks the 23rd year that the WCBS 880’s Small Business Breakfast has been connecting entrepreneurs in a professional setting. It now stands as the longest running small business event series in the New York area.
For more pictures and information from the event, visit #WCBSBizBreakfast on Twitter.
Thank you for joining us at the @DeltaDentalNJCT #WCBSBizBreakfast this morning! @JoeConnollybiz is enthused about the future of “independent business” in the Tri-State. Thanks to our guests Tyler Mathisen of @CNBC @PowerLunch and Rui Barros of @WeWork! pic.twitter.com/4K2VxhWI68
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) June 14, 2018
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880’s multi-media coverage of the Small Business Breakfast and assisted in organizing the event in East Rutherford, NJ on June 14, 2018. All WCBS 880 videos and social media posts were written, edited and published by Neil A. Carousso.
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Stringer: City is Chronically Late in Issuing Contracts, Putting Human Services in Jeopardy
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer on Tuesday released a new report finding “pervasive” delays in the city’s contract system, particularly when it comes to human services.
The consequence, Stringer said, is that services for the homeless and other vulnerable New Yorkers are put in jeopardy.
“Thousands of nonprofits – many serving the most vulnerable New Yorkers – go unpaid for months, forced to deliver services without a registered contract. This is unacceptable,” Stringer told WCBS 880. “The very organizations that the most vulnerable New Yorkers depend on are being forced to take out huge loans, skip payroll, delaying repairs, just to deal with the shortfall in cash.”
Stringer’s report said 90.8 percent of human services contracts were submitted late for registration in Fiscal Year 2017 – half of them by six months or more. The report also said contract types across the board had extensive delays – with 81 percent of new and renewal contracts across all city agencies coming in late in FY 2017.
The report focused on Type 70 contracts, which support human services programs for seniors, children, the homeless, and other vulnerable populations. Stringer’s office found that some agencies – including the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services – submitted all of their contracts late in 2017.
Vendors can only be paid once a contract is registered. They will be paid retroactively if a contract is late, but until the contract is submitted, the vendors are forced either to wait to begin work – which can stall projects and hike costs – or start work without the contract and take major risks, Stringer’s office said.
The stakes are particularly high for human services contractors, which execute such functions as delivering meals for seniors and providing shelter for homeless families, Stringer’s office said. The services are critical, and the contractors are often cash-strapped nonprofits with limited budgets, Stringer’s office said.
Stringer called for a series of reforms, including a contract tracking system.
“We need more transparency. We need to assign each city agency a role in contract oversight. We have to create a public tracking system to allow vendors to monitor the progress of their contracts,” he said. “It’s amazing that by the time it gets to my office, it could have been delayed for years.”
Stringer said if UPS can track packages, there is no reason that the city cannot track human services contracts.
“This is bureaucracy at its worst, and we have to smash the bureaucracy,” Stringer said, “and we’re never going to reduce homelessness if we cannot have a Department of Homeless Service agency that registers contracts on time and on budget.”
Speaking to WCBS 880 Producer Neil A. Carousso, Stringer added that his office has been in communication with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office for “many years” about the late contract issue. When asked if de Blasio has an action plan in place, Stringer said, “Well, we’ll find out now.”
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The New Wave: The Challenge of Getting More Women Elected
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The number of women serving in Congress and other elected positions has grown dramatically over the years, but many say progress is taking too long.
In this week’s segment of The New Wave: Women in Politics, Peter Haskell looks at calls to get more women elected to office.
When Liz Holtzman was first elected to Congress in 1972, she was one of 16 women in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, there were none at all.
Thus, Congress was just 3 percent female.
But 45 years later, there are 107 women in Congress – 20 percent.
“We’re making progress, but too slow in my opinion, and with a lot of damage to the whole society,” Hotlzman said, “because we’re losing out on the talents of extraordinary women.”
Despite the record number of women candidates, Holtzman, 76, understands the process is incremental.
“You know, it may take another 20 years before we get halfway or more, but the fact is, ultimately, progress in this is just not stoppable. It’s going to happen,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s taking far too long. But there’s no way of stopping the progress that women make.”
Political science professor Brigid Harrison of Montclair State University thinks the timing is right.
“With the large number of retirements, what we see is that this will be an opportunity for many women to get that foot in the door, and become the incumbents that are so hard to beat,” Harrison said.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman said it is about more than just numbers. It is about governing.
“You need more women and you need more minorities at the decision-making table, because you need that different set of life experiences; a different way of approaching problems,” Whitman said. “You can’t, in today’s day and age, there’s no one group that has all the answers.”
Another issue is misconduct. Former New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned after being accused of dating abuse.
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who ran for New York City mayor, said it matters.
“You know, there’s an attractiveness about a female candidate, and I think it’s because men seem to get themselves in trouble, you know, whether it’s sex scandals, whether it’s corruption,” Malliotakis said.
But more women running also means more women losing. Nearly 90 female candidates have already lost congressional primaries.
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880 reporter Peter Haskell’s multi-platform series titled “The New Wave: Women in Politics.” See the video piece of this installment here.
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Parade Of Ships Kicks Off Fleet Week 2018
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Anchors aweigh!
Fleet Week 2018 kicked off Wednesday with a parade of ships up the Hudson River.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1554601914662446/
Eleven ships carrying 2,300 sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen are in for a week of tours and celebrations.
As WCBS 880’s Marla Diamond reported, an FDNY fire boat welcomed the sailors to New York Harbor with sprays of water. The amphibious transport dock U.S.S. Arlington from Norfolk, Virginia led the parade with Marines in their dress blues and sailors in white manning the rails past the Statue of Liberty – and saluting at the 9/11 Memorial.
Vincent Catalano of Babylon, Long Island was watching. His son, Michael, is the ship’s lieutenant commander.
This is a wonderful story. I spoke with Lt. Commander Catalano’s parents who have served just like their son. incredible people who are proud of their son & excited to finally see him. His father and I share the same alma mater – @StFrancisPrep1! #FleetWeekNYC @MDiamond8 @wcbs880 https://t.co/5OhiksCwHJ
— Neil A. Carousso (@NeilACarousso) May 23, 2018
Catalano said his son was a fan of Fleet Week long before joining the service himself.
“He loved Fleet Week. He always came down here. As a matter of fact, when the JFK was still commissioned, that’s the aircraft carrier that used to come up here, we went every year on the JFK,” he said.
Diamond earlier was scheduled to join the Marines from Camp Lejeune aboard the Arlington, but her mission out to the ship was scrubbed because of heavy fog and she watched from the Battery.
After a beautiful tour around Manhattan, the @USNavy landed its helicopter back at the heliport due to fog preventing us from landing on the USS Arlington for the Parade of Ships #FleetWeekNYC. Here’s our landing back Downtown. @MDiamond8 @NeilACarousso pic.twitter.com/bKh3p4drG4
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) May 23, 2018
“The ceiling was too low for the pilot to take us out to the ship,” Diamond reported.
The ship received cannon salutes at Fort Hamilton and Fort Wadsworth before headign heading toward Lower Manhattan.
The fog has lifted and we’re ready for liftoff. Listen for my reports from the #USSArlington #FleetWeekNYC @wcbs880 @NeilACarousso pic.twitter.com/6xMSdo4ncN
— Marla Diamond (@MDiamond8) May 23, 2018
Ships will be docked on Manhttan’s West Side, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Merchant Marine Academy and the Bronx CUNY Maritime College for the 30th annual Fleet Week in New York City.
This is a chance for the men and women in uniform to get a taste of New York — the ballgames, the Statue of Liberty and of course Times Square.
Participants said they always have a fantastic experience in New York.
“This is actually my third personal Fleet Week, and each year, it just keeps getting better,” said Lt. Justin Vitalis, who is in charge of all helicopter operations for Fleet Week.
He said it was a great opportunity for the sailors, Coast Guard officers, and Marines to experience “the best city on the face of the earth,” as well as an opportunity for people in the Tri-State Area to get a feel for what it’s like to be in the service.
https://twitter.com/wcbs880/status/999287878361415680?s=21
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum will host a series of events including a free screening of Top Gun on the flight deck, a Battle of the Big Bands music and swing dancing event, and the annual Memorial Day commemoration ceremony, featuring the unfurling of a 100-foot American flag, the playing of Taps, a ceremonial wreath laying and a 3-volley rifle salute.
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880’s digital content from Fleet Week on May 23, 2018.
