Long Island Air Force Association

              The late Joseph Hydrusko was a Navy medic serving at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7th, 1941. He was credited with saving countless lives as the Japanese aircraft dropped their bombs on the Navy fleet.
     In 1970, Joe started a tradition of dropping American Beauty Roses (one rose for each anniversary year) over the Statue of Liberty while flying his own aircraft. The "Dropping of the Roses" was his way of paying a personal tribute to the men and women who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
     Following his death in 1974, his friends from the "Skytypers" and the Air Force Association continued on with the tradition. Due to their advanced ages, his friends Mort Arken, Irv Hansen, Walter Zywan and others asked the Long Island Air Force Association (LIAFA) to accept the responsibility for the roses tradition. 2023 marked the 28th consecutive year of the Long Island AFA involvement in the ceremony.