Buddy Esptein

Selwyn “Buddy” Epstein was enlisted in the Army from 1951 to 1954 as a member of the 375th Chemical Smoke Generator Company attached to 3rd Infantry Division. In 1951, he served 11 months on the battlefield in Korea. Mr. Epstein was discharged in 1954 as Private 1st Class.

Mr. Epstein continues to serve his country and fellow veterans as a member of the advisory board at the Long Island State Veterans Home. There, he coordinates with the Meadowbrook Women’s Initiative Group to make handmade lap blankets that he picks up and delivers to veterans.

With an unwavering commitment to his community and to his fellow veterans, Mr. Epstein serves as Senior Vice Commander of the Jewish War Veterans in Oceanside, New York, and is also Director of the Korean War Veterans Association – Chapter 1. Each year, Mr. Epstein participates in a Korean Vets program called “Tell America,” where veterans spend a day describing their wartime experiences to students in schools so that these veterans’ stories are preserved and shared.

Mr. Epstein grew up in Jamaica, Queens, and currently resides with his wife Marie in Long Beach. In his spare time, Mr. Epstein volunteers at the Long Beach Soup Kitchen and South Nassau Communities Hospital.