The Queens Veterans Day Parade took place in Middle Village on Nov. 12, 2023. (Photo by Gabriele Holtermann)
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Middle Village paid tribute to the nation’s veterans at its annual Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, Nov. 12.
The parade started on the corner of 80th Street along Metropolitan Avenue, with revelers waving American flags and holding signs thanking veterans for their service and sacrifice.
This year’s grand marshal was U.S. Marine Corps veteran Sgt. Brendan Gibbons. The Queens native and Middle Village resident served from 1996 to 2002 and received numerous military commendations, including two Navy and Marine Achievement medals and the Kosovo Campaign Medal and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, to name a few. After leaving active duty, Gibbons joined the NYPD and retired as a detective in 2020.
The parade concluded with a ceremony at Christ the King Regional High School, where elected officials honored the service and sacrifices made by veterans.
Former United States Coast Guard service member Jon Kablack, the Community Council president for the NYPD’s 104th Precinct, received the Anthony G. Pace Patriot Award 2023, and Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar awarded Kablack and Gibbons with a proclamation from the state of New York.
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, a member of the Senate Veterans Committee, thanked veterans for the work they do beyond their military service and stressed that much more needed to be done for veterans who deal with mental health and housing issues.
“We can never do enough to show our gratitude to our nation’s defenders. We can always do a little more,” Addabbo said, quoting actor Gary Sinise.
NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said that, during his time as a City Council member, he worked alongside veterans and passed a law prohibiting housing discrimination against veterans. Williams also co-sponsored a bill that requires the Department of Veterans Services to develop an…
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