Following the recent withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in August, after 20 years of war in the country, local officials, veterans, and their supporters gathered across The Bronx at several ceremonies to take time to recognize Veterans Day on Thursday, Nov. 11.

 

At Woodlawn Cemetery, once again, a commemorative event was held under a large, outdoor tent located a stone’s throw away from where Revolutionary War troops fought off a British invasion from Queens in “The Battle of Gun Hill,” in 1777.

 

Meg Ventrudo, executive director of Woodlawn Conservancy, told the crowd that cemetery staff have been working over several years on the “Flagging the Graves” project where staff continue to research and identify any veterans buried in the cemetery. She said, so far, more than 8,600 buried veterans have been identified, up from 6,500 as of the same time last year.

 

Before introducing Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), event sponsor and Bronx Democratic Party chair, State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey (S.D. 36), told the crowd, “Don’t forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It’s a cliché; you’ve heard it a thousand times, but freedom is not free. It’s provided to us by brave women and men who sign up to protect those who don’t ever know.”

For his part, ten months after the failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where the country’s system of democracy was temporarily placed under threat, Dinowitz said, “We do take a lot of things for granted. I will never forget Jan. 6, 2021, when I was watching on TV what was happening at the United States Capitol.” He added, “We take our freedom for granted. We take the fact that we live in a democracy, and we don’t think about the fact that maybe it’s a little more precious and a little more fragile than we would ever think.”

 

Dinowitz continued, “Because we’ve been here all our lives, the United States is the greatest democracy to ever have existed on this planet, so we just assume it’s always going to be that way, but I think we saw that maybe that’s not the case. And we have seen this year that we should not take that for granted because efforts to undermine our democracy not only took place at the beginning of the year but, in fact, are ongoing.”

 

District 16 City Councilwoman and projected winner of the Bronx borough presidency, Vanessa Gibson, whose uncle, Robert Gibson, was a Vietnam War veteran, also addressed those at the event, saying, “Every single day, a veteran wakes up and serves this great country, protects our values and our freedoms, and defends this country. But we also know that our veterans have supportive families, so as we honor veterans today, we must also honor their families, their spouses and children, and relatives and loved ones that are with them and supporting them on this journey.”

 

As chairman of the veterans committee at New York City Council, Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) told veterans in attendance that the committee was in the process of holding hearings on recent military discharges. “We just had a committee meeting on the Joint Committee on Immigration for Foreign-Born Veterans who risked their lives to serve a country in which they were not born,” he said. “And the last [U.S.] administration took away their ability to gain that citizenship.”

 

Norwood News reported in May how some service members received other-than-honorable (OTH) discharges from the armed services, many for misconduct related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many don’t realize they may be eligible for a discharge upgrade and related health care and other benefits if evidence shows the impacted veterans experienced service-related trauma.

Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80) whose brother, Army Specialist Alejandro Fernández, served in Iraq, also spoke at the event, saying, “Gratefully, by the grace of God, he came home, and look at me… I’m getting all teary-eyed.” She continued, “But today is a reminder that we should be grateful for those that did come back, that they were able to do that duty and serve this country… They are home, and they need our support.”

 

Also in attendance was Lt. Col Ricardo Singleton (Ret.) who lived on Forrest Avenue in the South Bronx before moving to Mount Vernon. A member of the U.S. Army Reserves, Singleton served for 40 years between 1974 and 2014, surviving three conflicts: Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. “I was there to do a job,” he said of his service time. “I did it, and that was it.”

 

Now a minister, Singleton added, “Our armed forces have the longest record of triumph over evil,” he said. “In each case, they have fought, defending the same values our great nation was founded on. Our veterans, this group of extraordinary Americans, the less than one percent who commit to something the other 99 do not, deserve our lasting gratitude and respect.”

 

He concluded, “Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you… Jesus Christ and the American soldier.” He added, “One died for your soul, and the other for your freedom.”

Additional Veterans Day events were held at the Rudy Macina Peace Plaza on Williamsbridge Road, and the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance held their annual event on Unionport Road. Other gatherings took place at the Bronx Victory Memorial in Pelham Bay Park, at a recently renovated flagpole monument in Riverdale, and Council Member Mark Gjonaj joined others to sponsor a Veterans Day Breakfast honoring Grand Marshal Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joseph F. Goonan and other veterans in City Council District 13.

 

Gjonaj, who is stepping down at the end of his current term, was honored for his service to the community at the event. The projected winner of the recent District 13 general election council race is Democrat, Marjorie Velázquez.

 

Yet another was held for Fordham Hill residents, in Fordham Manor, some of whom are veterans. That event was attended by Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78), who also attended the Woodlawn event, outgoing District 14 City Councilman Fernando Cabrera, and projected winner of the recent District 14 general election, Democrat, Pierina Sanchez. Fordham Hill resident, John Ursini, who served in the United States Navy between 1974 and 1978, was honored at the event and his recognition presented by Fordham Hill Owners Corporation board member, Blandón Casenave.

Another Fordham Hill resident, Marvin Millman, who served with the United States Marine Corps back in 1951, and was also honored at the event, and later said, “It’s very nice they do this.” Asked how he thought the country was doing now, Millman responded, “Terrible! It’s very bad, it’s going downhill.” He continued, “We shouldn’t have inflation, we shouldn’t have these gas prices.”

 

The celebration of veterans concluded with the Bronx Veterans Day Parade, held on Sunday, Nov. 14, when veterans, service members and supporters joined local officials in marching from East Tremont Avenue to Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park in Throggs Neck.

 

Gibson also used the Veterans Day celebrations as an occasion to suggest and to remind veterans seeking most types of assistance to visit the Bronx Veterans Treatment Court, which parks on East 161st Street five days a week and which can also be reached at (718) 584-900 Ext. 5457. Veterans can also find opportunities for jobs, housing, and health benefits at www.nyc.gov/vets.

 

*Dawn Clancy and Síle Moloney contributed to this story. 

 

Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this story and in our latest print edition, it was reported that Blandón Casenave, rather than John Ursini, was honored at the Fordham Hill event. In fact, it was Fordham Hill Owners Corporation board member, Blandón Casenave, who presented the honor to John Ursini. We apologize for this error.