Bay Ridge

Golden wants Interstate 278 named for veterans

State senator says, ‘We can never fully repay them’

June 6, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
State Sen. Marty Golden (right) presents a plaque to retired U.S. Air Force member Stephen Neftleberg. Photo courtesy of Golden’s office
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Motorists driving on Interstate 278 could be seeing new signs along the Brooklyn portion of the roadway if the New York State Assembly passes a bill the state Senate recently approved to name a section of the highway in tribute to military veterans.

State Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn) was the sponsor of a bill to name the Brooklyn portion of Interstate 278 “Brooklyn Veterans Memorial Highway.”

It’s only right that the state designate a piece of public property to honor the men and women who have served the nation in uniform, according to Golden, a member of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee.

“Our veterans deserve our gratitude and we can never fully repay them for what they have done for this grateful state and nation,” he said in a statement. “Let us always remember that it is because of our veterans, past, present and future, America will always be the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Interstate 278, a 36-mile roadway running between New York and New Jersey, includes the Staten Island Expressway, the Gowanus Expressway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

The bill has been sent to the Assembly for consideration.

Golden recently hosted a Memorial Day Breakfast for local veterans at the Bay Ridge Manor, where he handed out awards to former military service members for their contributions to the community. The honorees included Stephen Neftleberg, a retired former member of the U.S. Air Force and Michael Palo, a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the New York Chapter of Rolling Thunder.

Neftleberg was enrolled in the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame.

At the breakfast, Golden also paid tribute to the late Frank Oliva, a World War II veteran.

Palo, a Vietnam War veteran, is a founding member of the Rolling Thunder Motor Cycle Club, whose members participate in the Rolling Thunder Ride to the Wall, a yearly pilgrimage to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. that takes place on the day before Memorial Day.

Neftleberg took his oath of office at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton on Sept. 11, 1968 and served for four years. He has served as a volunteer at the Brooklyn Veterans Administration for many years and is considered an expert on how to assist veterans obtain their government benefits. A longtime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, he has served as post commander, county commander and district commander of the organization.

 

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