Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams presented a group of local veterans, including members of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, the Marine Corps League and the Student Veterans from Operation Enduring Freed (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) with a battle-scarred Brooklyn flag carried into Operation Desert Storm, as part of a Borough Hall ceremony honoring veterans.
The veterans groups will carry the flag as they march up Fifth Avenue on Nov. 11 in America’s Parade, the New York City Veterans Day Parade.
Then-Borough President Howard Golden presented the flag in 1990 to the 102nd Maintenance Company, 244th Army National Guard Division, when the unit was deployed to the Persian Gulf in Operation Desert Storm.
The flag was scorched by burning fragments from an enemy Scud missile, which was shot down by a U.S. Patriot missile during an attack near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was returned to Brooklyn at homecoming ceremonies for the 102nd Maintenance Company on Sept. 15, 1991.
“The spirit of One Brooklyn, along with the support and solidarity of its residents, was carried into battle through the flag that now stands proudly in Brooklyn Borough Hall as a tribute to the bravery of those men and women who brought it safely home. Now, it will once more be carried into service, this time by veterans who have bravely served our nation and are justly honored for their service and their sacrifice,” Borough President Adams said.
“I am honored to take part in this small gesture of our borough’s everlasting appreciation for our veteran community, and I am committed to using my role as Borough President to advance their general welfare with the support and resources they deserve,” Adams added.
Marine Sgt. Carlton Richardson, who served in Operation Desert Storm, was one of the representatives who received the flag, along with Marine Sgt. Shamar Thomas, who served two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“As a proud Marine, OIF veteran, and as someone who grew up in Brooklyn, I am truly honored to participate in the flag ceremony with the Borough President Adams and these distinguished veterans groups,” Sgt. Thomas said upon receiving the Brooklyn flag. “Like this flag, our nations’ veterans and their families wear the scars of war, prompting us to never forget. As we walk up Fifth Avenue during the Veterans Day parade, we must never forget those who have come before us, who have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that freedom persists. Semper Fi.”
“I was born and raised in Brooklyn and served in the US Army during the Vietnam War,” said Patrick Gualtieri, executive director of the United War Veterans Council, which produces the Veterans Day Parade. “I am honored to be here today with Borough President Adams, and those proud veterans who represent the more than 52,000 Brooklyn veterans from all eras living in our great borough.
In addition to the flag ceremony, the United War Veteran’s Council will be hosting the “Saluting Our Veterans” Veterans Resource Fair & U.S. Navy Band Concert in the Grand Army Plaza headquarters of the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 10 from 10 am to 6 pm.
The fair, which is open to the public, offers opportunities for veterans and their families to learn about resources ranging from healthcare benefits to business opportunities.
Veterans Day begins with a Memorial Service in Madison Square Park at 23rd Street and Broadway, followed by a wreath laying at the Eternal Light Monument and a 21-gun salute. The parade will then step off at 11:00 AM, proceeding up 5th Avenue to 53rd Street.
Former New York Police Commissioner and Vietnam War veteran Raymond W. Kelly will lead the parade as Grand Marshall. Kelly is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, which is the featured service branch in the year’s parade. The New York City Veterans Day Parade is the largest celebration of service in the nation with 25,000 participants.
Veterans Week, starting Nov. 1, explores the issues that are important to veterans and consists of several events honoring them, including the Band of Pride Concert, featuring 1,000 high school students from national marching bands performing on Nov. 10 in Times Square, as well as a special Veterans Mass Nov. 9 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.
America’s Parade will be broadcast on FOX-5 in New York, with a one-hour highlight broadcast on FOX stations in major cities across the country and on Armed Forces TV to every U.S. military installation and ship in the world.
