Photos Courtesy of Clark Jones; Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Service members past and present and their families last Friday marched up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in the annual Veterans Day parade.
By Michael V. Cusenza
The greatest city in the world last week saluted the brave men and women who have served in the world’s most formidable Armed Forces in Veterans Day ceremonies and parades across the five boroughs.In Queens last Wednesday, Borough President Melinda Katz hosted the annual Veterans Day Observance Ceremony in the Veterans Memorial Garden in front of Borough Hall.
This year, the commemorative event recognized the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and featured the presentations of Citations of Honor to three distinguished borough residents who served in the U.S. military: Navy veteran John McNamee, Sr.; Army veteran Leroy Barnes; and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jason Sagebiel.
The event’s guest speaker, Queens resident and Navy veteran Arthur Grabiner, delivered remarks about Dec. 7, 1941 – the “date which will live in infamy,” as President Franklin Roosevelt characterized the Pearl Harbor attack the following day in his address before a joint session of Congress.
Borough President Katz last Wednesday presented Citations of Honor to four Queens veterans during the Veterans Day Observance Ceremony at Borough Hall: John McNamee, Sr. (fourth from r.) U.S. Navy, veteran of World War II and the Korean War; Leroy Barnes (fourth from l.) U.S. Army, veteran of the Vietnam War; Jason Sagebiel (third from l.) U.S. Marine Corps, veteran of the Iraq War; and Arthur Grabiner (second from r.) U.S. Navy, veteran of World War II. Also pictured are State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (l.), City Councilman Barry Grodenchik (third from l.), Assemblywoman-elect Stacey Pheffer Amato (r.), and Democratic District Leader George Dixon (second from l.)
Last Wednesday’s ceremony also included a moment of reflection for the men and women who have served in the nation’s Armed Forces and are no longer with us, and concluded with a bugler’s rendition of Taps. The hour-long event was followed by a reception inside Borough Hall.
Additionally, Katz noted, at the suggestion of the Queens County American Legion, the flags of the five U.S. military branches were displayed in front of Borough Hall last week through Friday, Nov. 11, in recognition of Veterans Day.
