The United War Veterans Council of New York today both celebrates Vietnam Veterans Day and passes the leadership baton to a new generation.
At 9:30 a.m., a reading of New Yorkers who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan takes place at St. Andrews Church on Cardinal Hayes Place.
At 11:30 a.m. at Vietnam Veterans Plaza, 55 Water St., senior vets will host their younger comrades at an expo featuring more than 50 groups offering a wide variety of services and tribute.
These include the VA, the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs, an NYPD recruiting table and West Babylon HS students, who’ll distribute a book they’ve made of their interviews with veterans. A ceremony honoring the fallen, with A 21-gun salute, follows.
Then there’s that baton-passing.
Vietnam vet Vince McGowan is stepping down as president of the Veterans Council, the group he founded 30 years ago. His achievements include taking over the then-foundering New York Veterans Day Parade in 1987 and building it into the nation’s largest.
Succeeding McGowan is Maj. Dan McSweeney, a Marine reservist who served two tours in Iraq.
McSweeney says his mission is straightforward: “We pick up and continue to honor the pledge of our brothers and sisters who returned from Vietnam: ‘Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.’”
That’s a mission for us all: Make a point of thanking vets for their service; they deserve it.
And if you’ve got a job to offer, you’d be hard-pressed to find better candidates anywhere than at today’s expo.