Nassau County - Long Island, New York

Mangano Welcomes Afghanistan Veteran Back Home To Nassau County

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Nassau County Veterans Services Agency Director Joseph Pascarella today welcomed Lieutenant Colonel Neil Murphy back home to Garden City following his tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Mangano welcomes Afghanistan Veteran back home

“I thank Lieutenant Colonel Murphy for his service to our country during not only his most recent tour in Afghanistan but also for his two other tours in Iraq. I am pleased and honored to welcome him safely back home to Nassau County,” said County Executive Mangano.

Lieutenant Colonel Murphy spent 13 months of service in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province with II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) as the Military Assistant to the Commanding General, Regional Command Southwest at Camp Leatherneck. He was previously deployed twice to Iraq. During “Operation Iraqi Freedom” in 2003, he served with I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) on the initial invasion and again in Fallujah with II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in 2005-06.

The Murphy Family, which includes Lt. Col. Murphy’s wife Alicia, their 14-year old son Jacob and 10-year old daughter Shaelin, have lived in Garden City for 2 ½ years.

The family lives in one of 18 homes at Mitchel Field that County Executive Mangano reserved for active-duty military personnel. The County took ownership of the property on April 1, 2011 from the United States Navy and began the process of renovating the homes and locating veterans and their families to occupy the homes, which are two-story, three bedroom duplex units.

Nassau County works closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Community Development Corporation of Long Island to secure veterans eligible for the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program that provides Housing Choice Vouchers for qualified veterans.

The County works with local military bases as well as the Automated Housing Referral Network (AHRN), the official housing referral system used by military housing offices, in order to locate occupants for these homes.