BROOKLYN-USA.ORG BROOKLYN NEWS 23
When it comes to supporting military heroes, Borough
President Adams gives more than just his salute — he
gives his support. Like he does with his fellow brothers and
sisters in NYPD blue, Borough President Adams actively
raises up Brooklyn’s veterans with words and deeds.
“Brooklyn honors its vets, Brooklyn respects its vets,
and Brooklyn never forgets its vets,” Borough President
Adams told a crowd during a “Start Strong, Finish
Strong” resource fair he held for veterans at Brooklyn
Borough Hall.
Organized in conjunction with the United States Army
Garrison at Fort Hamilton, the event, held last November
in recognition of Veterans Day, included care packages,
transitional services, and the presentation of citations
to honor the invaluable sacrifi ces of local veterans.
“As Brooklynites living in one of the fastest-moving
cities in the world, in the freest nation on Earth, it’s
easy to take our liberties for granted, but every day
these freedoms come at a great cost. War is not only
measured in dollars and cents,” Borough President
Photo: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s O ce
Adams told attendees, “but in radically-altered family
dynamics, lost limbs, and oftentimes lost lives. When
service members come home from war with disfi guring
injuries and emotional trauma, thanking them for
their sacrifi ce isn’t enough — we need to support them
in every way we can.”
It is unacceptable that veterans become homeless
or otherwise disconnected from society, said Borough
President Adams, the former chair of the Committee
on Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military A airs
during his tenure with the New York State Senate, in
pledging his strong support to ensure that the City’s
e orts to end chronic veteran homelessness are sustainable.
He also plans to continue addressing the
economic and mental health challenges that veterans
experience every day. Understanding his opportunity
to help veterans — who often su er with the physical
and emotional trauma of war — while simultaneously
aiding a non-profi t that also works with children and
adults with disabilities, Borough President Adams last
year allocated $500,000 for the restoration of stables
to GallopNYC, which o ers therapeutic horseback riding
aimed at helping to build developmental, emotional,
social, and physical skills for riders, many of whom are
veterans.
In concert with his commitment to aiding those
who bear the scars of war, Borough President Adams
recognized Medal of Honor recipient Sta Sergeant
Ty Michael Carter, who visited the borough for a proclamation
ceremony in June of 2014. Awarded for his
actions in the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh in Afghanistan,
Carter was one of three such recipients of America’s
highest military honor that were still on active duty as
of 2014. Borough President Adams and Sta Sergeant
Carter joined forces to encourage awareness of posttraumatic
stress, as well as to remove the stigmatization
of returning members of the armed forces.
Supporting veterans also involves celebrating their
achievements and their perseverance in the face of
hardship. Borough President Adams was proud to
present a battle-scarred Brooklyn fl ag — scorched
by burning fragments from a Scud missile during an
attack near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — to a group of local
military heroes who were able to march with it during
the Veterans Day “America’s Parade” in November
of 2014. The banner bearing the borough’s seal was
given in 1990 by then-Brooklyn Borough President
Howard Golden to the 102 Maintenance Company,
244th National Guard Division, during Operation Desert
Storm.
Borough President Adams has also collaborated with
the Department of Veterans A airs and the Brooklyn
Community Recovery Center to sponsor a veterans
educational training conference for clergy and chaplains.
Held last November at Brooklyn Borough Hall, the
event provided an important forum for faith leaders to
learn how to assist returning military heroes and their
families as they transition from deployment back into
civilian life, as well as how to recognize the hidden
emotional pain that being a combat veteran may leave
in the soul.
Of all of the veterans’ initiatives initiated by Borough
President Adams, perhaps the most enduring will be
his plan to restore Cadman Plaza Park’s Brooklyn War
Memorial, closed for 25 years for non-compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The
monument — dedicated to more than 300,000 Brooklyn
men and women who served during World War II —
includes a Wall of Honor inscribed with the names
of more than 11,500 Brooklynites who died during
the war. He allocated $1 million in Fiscal Year 2016
capital funds to open the memorial for veterans, as
part of a broader plan that includes making the facility
accessible for the disabled. Joining forces with the
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Cadman Plaza
Conservancy, Borough President Adams remains
firmly committed to ensuring this dream will finally
become a reality.
“While fighting for our freedom overseas is their
duty, it is our duty to take care of them once they
come home,” said Borough President Adams. “Part
of that is giving them a sanctuary to grieve for their
fallen brothers and sisters, as well as a place to
receive care for the trauma — both physical and
emotional — they sustained during their time of
service.”
Borough President Adams has shown that it’s one
thing to recognize our veterans with all manner
of pomp and circumstance for their brave service,
but quite another to truly embody the example set
forth by President John F. Kennedy: “We must never
forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter
words, but to live by them.”
MORE
THAN A
SALUTE
Borough President Adams received a briefing about the Humvee exhibited outside Brooklyn Borough
Hall during his “Start Strong, Finish Strong” resource fair for veterans, held in commemoration of
Veterans Day last November.
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