Queens Borough Hall hosts Veterans Day ceremony
BY BILL PARRY
Loretta Weiss joined the
U.S. Army at the age of 20,
served from 1942-45 during
World War II and went
back to serve in the Korean
and Vietnam wars — and
on Thursday she will be
honored at Queens Borough
Hall.
A longtime member of
Whitestone VFW Post 4787,
Weiss was discharged as a
Sergeant First Class in 1975,
having received the World
War II Victory, Army Occupation,
National Defense Service
and Good Conduct medals,
among other awards.
Weiss, who turned 100 in
June, will be honored with
two other distinguished veterans
from Queens — Sgt.
James W. Sessoms, Jr., of the
United States Marine Corps,
who is a veteran of the Vietnam
War, and Staff Sgt.
Raymond Ramos of the New
York Army National Guard,
who is a veteran of Operation
Noble Eagle and Operation
Enduring Freedom —
during the Nov. 7 event.
More veterans call
Lifelong Astoria resident Luke Gasparre, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was among the
honorees at last year’s Veterans Day Observance Ceremony at Borough Hall.
Queens home than any other
borough, and the annual
Veterans Day Observance
Ceremony will salute the
more than 58,000 borough
residents that have served
in the nation’s armed forces.
“Queens is endlessly
grateful to the tens of thousands
of women and men
Courtesy of Katz’s office
who have displayed unimaginable
courage, selflessness
and sacrifice in donning our
nation’s uniform,” Queens
Borough President Melinda
Katz said. “The debt we owe
our heroes and their families
can never be properly
repaid.”
The Veterans Day Observance
Ceremony will begin
at 11 a.m. inside the Helen
Marshall Cultural Center at
Queens Borough Hall in Kew
Gardens. The event will also
feature keynote remarks by
Veterans Benefits Advisor
Joaquin B. Gonzalez of the
New York State Division
of Veterans Services, who
will discuss the challenges
faced by veterans in the 21st
century.
An indoor reception at
Borough Hall will follow the
ceremony. Anyone wishing
to attend should RSVP by
visiting www.queensbp.org/
rsvp or calling 718-286-2661.
“Join us at Borough Hall
as we humbly pay tribute to
those who have bravely answered
the call to service in
defense of our nation,” Katz
said.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Forest Hills clinic offering free dental care for veterans
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A Forest Hills dental clinic is
making sure that veterans and their
families don’t have to go without
dental care.
In honor of its Veterans Recognition
Month, the Plaza College Community
Dental Clinic will offer free dental
services for United States Military
veterans and their immediate families
throughout the month of November.
Many veterans don’t qualify
for dental benefits through the Department
of Veteran Affairs. With Veteran
Administration Hospitals only providing
dental care to those who qualify as
prisoners of war or are disabled, many
veterans are left without an affordable
option for dental care.
“Maintaining oral health is vital
to keeping your entire body healthy,”
said Dr. Laura Sleeper, a licensed
dental hygienist and the director of
the Plaza College Dental Hygiene
Program. “At Plaza College, our dental
hygiene students strive to make
a difference by providing accessible
healthcare to New Yorkers. We not
only salute our veterans but also their
good health.”
Plaza College’s Dental Hygiene Program
is the city’s first new fully accredited
American Dental Association
Photo via Getty Images
teaching program in over 27 years.
Students in the program work under
the supervision of a certified dentist
to conduct a full oral cleaning along
with X-rays, screenings for oral cancer,
and scaling and polishing teeth on
children, adolescents and adults.
Plaza College Community Dental
Clinic is located on the third floor
of 118-35 Queens Blvd. Veterans can
make an appointment by calling 718-
779-1432.
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM NOV. 8-14, 2019 3
link
link
link
/
/
/TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM
