Pat-Med Volleyball Honors Its Hometown Heroes

Pat-Med volleyball took some time this past week to recognize members of the Raider family who have dedicated themselves to serving their communities and their country.

The team's annual Hometown Heroes recognition honored family members of Pat-Med athletes whose service has made a difference both locally and beyond. This year's honorees represented the U.S. military, local emergency services and law enforcement.

Those recognized included:

Robert Weber — U.S. Air Force veteran and Patchogue EMT Brianna Carr — U.S. Air Force crew chief and maintenance specialist Bill Paulus — Islip Terrace Fire Department firefighter since 1999 Carol Paulus — Islip Terrace Fire Department EMT for 21 years and fire police officer for four years Jose Diaz — U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean War Richard Graziano — U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former Amityville police officer

The recognition gave the Pat-Med volleyball community an opportunity to highlight the service and sacrifice of the people behind some of the athletes who take the court for the Raiders.

Pat-Med volleyball shared a message of appreciation for the honorees, saying, “Thank you so much for your service, sacrifice, and dedication to our communities and our country. We are incredibly grateful for all that you have done to protect and serve others, and we were honored to recognize you last night.”

While the Raiders were taking time to recognize their Hometown Heroes off the court, the team has also been making some noise on it.

Pat-Med has put together a mini winning streak this week, winning two consecutive matches to improve its record to 3-2 on the season. The Raiders have been particularly productive during those victories, outscoring their opponents by a combined 9-3.

With five matches in the books, Pat-Med has already shown that it can compete while continuing to build chemistry and momentum early in the season.

For one evening, however, the focus was on the people whose service to others represents a different kind of teamwork — one that extends well beyond the volleyball court.