The Town of Clarkstown will hold its annual Veteran’s Day ceremony and luncheon on
Friday, November 6th, at 11:30 a.m. Hosting this annual event is one of the most
rewarding parts of being Town Supervisor, and it serves as a reminder of how lucky we
are to live in such a beautiful and free country. Our veterans deserve an immense
amount of respect and gratitude from us all. No matter when or how they served, they
did so knowing that any moment their lives could be on the line. For those who served
in combat, that was a frightening reality.
On Veterans Day, we express our eternal gratitude for each and every one of our brave
men and women who served this great nation and provided us with the priceless gift of
freedom. Sadly, we sometimes take this most precious gift for granted. Veteran’s Day
provides an annual reminder to pause and be thankful for those who really deserve to
be recognized every day. As the son of a Korean War Veteran, I’ve always had a deep
respect for our veterans and their families. Now as Town Supervisor, I’m proud to lead a
town that is always looking for ways to recognize and help those who served.
Clarkstown was the first town in Rockland County and one of the first on the east coast
to start a military tribute banner program that honors our veterans in our downtowns.
We now have over 300 banners displayed annually in 6 different hamlets. Our Street
School Community Center is home to the “Hall of Heroes” tribute to our veterans. It is
also home to the Promenade of Heroes, which houses a memorial tree and plaque for
each of our nation’s conflicts. We spotlight our veterans in a segment on my TV show.
We opened a veteran’s center in town hall; and every year before Thanksgiving,
Clarkstown hosts a Veterans Turkey Dinner giveaway. These are just a few of the small,
but meaningful ways we express our gratitude.
This year, we marked two incredibly different milestone anniversaries. On September
11th, our nation solemnly recalled those we lost in the 2001 terror attacks 25 years ago.
And in stark contrast, on July 4th, we jubilantly celebrated the 250th anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence. While these events hold completely different places in our
collective memory as a nation, it is the bravery and service of our veterans that bridge
these events together. In 1776 our veterans fought to create our nation. In 2001, they
fought to ensure our nation endured. In both uncertain times, we prevailed because
brave men and women put their lives on the line to protect the ideals and the people we
hold dear.
To all those who served, whether in war, in conflict, or in peace, we offer two simple but
incredibly powerful words that can never repay you, but are still so important to say:
THANK YOU, we are better as people and as a nation because of you.
May God Bless you and May God Bless the United States of America.
