Photo Courtesy of Councilman Ulrich’s Office
“Our government should make every effort to commemorate the sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform,” Councilman Ulrich said.
By Forum Staff
City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) introduced a resolution during last week’s Council Stated Meeting urging the U.S. Congress to grant veterans with service-related disabilities free admission to national parks.
Resolution 0116-2018 calls on the Senate and House of Representatives to pass, and President Donald Trump to sign into law, the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act of 2017, which would allow certain vets to utilize national green spaces without having to dig into their pockets. The measure cites the 900,000 wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a 2015 Congressional Research Service study, which found that approximately 327,000 service members suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury between 2000 and 2015.
“Although it would be impossible to fully repay the debt we owe our veterans for their service, our government should make every effort to commemorate the sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform,” Ulrich said. “Serving as chair of the Veterans Committee was an honor and a privilege, but my work is far from over. I vow to continue being an advocate for our nation’s heroes.”
Lauren Cosgrove, Northwest program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, praised the councilman for “recognizing the important service of our veterans” via this resolution.
“Our veterans and our national parks reflect the best of who and what we are as a nation. Ensuring our disabled veterans are able to access these lands free of charge is an important step toward recognizing and thanking these brave women and men who have sacrificed so much in service to our country,” she added.
