The third annual Remembrance Walk on Sunday gave New Yorkers a chance to say thank you to military veterans past and present. NY1′s Jon Weinstein filed the following report.
With a little bit of pomp and pageantry and a whole lot of pride, more than 700 people embarked on the USO’s remembrance walk in the shadow of the Intrepid.
“This is our chance to come out and show the community and show the surrounding areas that we appreciate all the support that we get,” said Chief Petty Officer Elisha Singer with the U.S. Navy.
“Whether they’re serving in harm’s way or whether they’re serving at home, this is our opportunity as Americans to say thank you to those that wear the cloth of this nation,” said Brian Whiting, the CEO of the USO of Metropolitan New York.
The message behind the walk is clear: remembering and honoring those who served and are currently serving in our nations armed forces.
For Patrick Clayton, a naval reservist himself, this was a chance to show his daughters what the military means to him.
“I served seven years active duty in the Navy, I was on the U.S. George Washington,” he said. “And I wanted my kids to realize what their dad is a part of, this great nation, the United States of America, and what this remembrance walk is all about.”
“They fought for our country, and they also helped us in bringing us together,” said Tayvion Clayton, Patrick Clayton’s daughter.
Civilians and active duty personnel walk alongside one another, giving them a chance to interact.
“It’s pretty exciting to see everybody come together, and even especially when you see civilians that really support what we do, and we definitely appreciate their support,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Luis Donayre with the U.S. Navy.
“You just really feel it inside when you’re with all of these guys,” said one person at the walk. “It brings it home.”
Sailors from the USS New York, which is visiting this Veteran’s Day weekend, were on hand. Some of those who serve on the ship are native New Yorkers, making this holiday weekend even more special for them. Another point of pride is that the ship is built with steel salvaged from the World Trade Center site after the September 11th attacks.
“The ship is made also from the World Trade Center, so it feels like the heroes who died that day are with us,” said Justinne Ivanitskiy, a seaman with the U.S. Navy.
The walk also raised $ 100,000 for the USO.
For more information on the organization, go to usonyc.org.
http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info/?p=17110
via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
No comments:
Post a Comment