Surprise: There's a Golf Green in Your Yard

Former Cold Spring police officer honored Vinny Damato, a former Cold Spring police officer, isn't surprised when people thank him for his service — he is a former Marine who served in the Gulf War, a former state trooper and a former New York City firefighter who assisted with the search and recovery in 2001 at Ground Zero. What surprised him on Sept. 10 was seeing his New Windsor backyard transformed into a putting green. The backyard makeover was a project of Folds of Honor, a nonprofit established in 2007 to provide scholarships to children and spouses of fallen or disabled service members. In 2022, it expanded its mission to include first responders. "Mr. Damato's commitment to his country, community and family, and his service during the Gulf War and at Ground Zero, made him an ideal recipient of a backyard makeover," said Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor. Damato's two children are among more than 70,000 people who have received Folds scholarships. Damato joined the Marines in 1989, served in the Gulf War with the 2nd Light Artillery Infantry Division and remained in the reserves until 1995. He was a New York state trooper from 1996 to 1999, then joined the FDNY for 23 years. He was a part-time officer in Cold Spring from 2016 to 2021. The Arizona-based Celebrity Greens has partnered with Folds of Honor since 2021. It designed and supervised the installation of the green, which was built by Total Turf, a program partner in Westchester County. All the labor and materials, valued at around $45,000, were donated. Damato said he and his wife thought the email announcing his selection for the makeover was a scam. When he didn't respond, Folds of Honor followed up with a phone call. On Sept. 11, 2001, during the attacks on the World Trade Center, he was serving with Engine Company 74 on West 83rd Street but was off duty. "My flip phone started ringing, and I knew I had to get in there," he said. He was in an NYPD van heading downtown on the West Side Highway when the South Tower came down. Most of that day was a blur, he said, but he remembers the sun peeking through the dust. "It was chaotic working through the night," he said. "We had lost the heart of the upper echelons of the fire department." Ruben Correa, a firefighter from Engine Company 74, was among the victims. Health issues related to 9/11 forced Damato to retire from firefighting. Last week, on the morning of the 25th anniversary of the attacks, Damato attended the Firemen's Memorial at Riverside Drive and 100th Street, as he has each year. He said it is bittersweet to know that some firefighters killed on 9/11, including his wife's cousin, Lenny Regalia, have children serving with FDNY. His feelings are "hard to describe," he said. "In my mind, it feels like it was yesterday," he said. "But the people around me somehow bring it full circle, and you realize 25 years have passed." He said it's hard to believe that a third of the U.S. population had not yet been born on that day. This year, Damato did not make it downtown on 9/11 for a sunset vigil. His daughter, Artabelle, a Girl Scout, was laying a wreath at a memorial in Cornwall at 6 p.m. and asked her dad to be there. He arrived in time. A week after it was installed, Damato said he is enjoying his putting green. "I love golf, but I wouldn't say I'm good at it," he said with a laugh. "I'm more of a weekend warrior." But he insisted his putting has already improved. "I'm reading the greens a little better," he said. He declined to comment on his wife Kathy's putting but said Artabelle's is "way better than mine." "I feel good about life," he said. "I have a great family, I'm lucky to be here and I consider that a major blessing."