Bedford-Stuyvesant

Bed-Stuy to host first Veterans Appreciation Parade on Saturday

The goal is to connect veterans with resources, organizers said.

November 1, 2019 By Kelly Mena and Meaghan McGoldrick
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Living war heroes and serving military members will be honored this weekend at a new Veterans Appreciation Parade in Bed-Stuy.

The event, hosted by the New York City Veterans Committee in partnership with Brooklyn community boards 3 and 16, will run from Bed-Stuy’s Robert Fulton Park on Stuyvesant Avenue to I.S. 271 on Saratoga Avenue from noon to 4 p.m on Nov. 2.

CB16 District Manager Viola Green-Walker told the Brooklyn Eagle that the parade — meant to recognize veterans in Ocean Hill, Brownsville and beyond — will end with a resource fair, where current and former service-members and their families can find information about veteran services for housing, jobs and benefits.

“At conclusion, the goal is to connect veterans with resources,” Green-Walker said.

Approximately 54,000 veterans live in Brooklyn, according to the city’s Department of Veteran Services. Census Bureau estimates from 2017 say more than 7,000 people currently living in Brooklyn have served since 2001.

Saturday’s parade is a culmination of the efforts of both boards, she said. “This came out of a borough-wide effort,” Green-Walker told the Eagle, stressing that both CB3 and CB16 have their own committees dedicated to veteran affairs.

The Brooklyn parade will come nine days before the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade on Monday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day. That parade, hosted each year by the United War Veterans Council, is the largest of its kind in the country.

Brooklyn, however, has its own rich military history. The borough played a pivotal role in American armed service, including as a battlefield during the Revolutionary War. The Battle Of Brooklyn was the first major engagement to take place after the U.S. declared its independence in 1776. Sites like the Navy Yard and Industry City (then Bush Terminal) built ships and supplied war efforts, and countless residents served on the frontlines.

The borough is also home to The Fort Hamilton Army Base, which first opened in 1831, and spans Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. The base, which is home to active and retired military members and more, also commemorates the service of its veterans annually.

 

 

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