FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 30, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 63
Veterans remembered
vschneps@gmail.com
Memorial Day weekend
proved to be gloriously
sunny in our
area, allowing our communities
to celebrate, honor and recognize
the generations of soldiers
who paid the ultimate price in
defense of our country.
My grandson Jonah, a Boy
Scout, marched with his troop in
a local parade, and many of our
neighbors stopped their day to
say thank you.
But aft er the Memorial Day
spotlight has faded and the
parades have ended, what are
we really doing to support our
troops and veterans?
An old friend, Jerry
Schmetterer, a former member
of the Brooklyn District
Attorney’s office, began a
book-writing career following
his retirement and wrote with
friends Michael Vecchione and
Bruce Sackman called “Behind
the Curtain.” It’s about veterans
hospital patients on the road
to recovery who suddenly die in
increasing numbers.
Sackman, one of the authors,
was a VA special agent in charge
of investigating the deaths. He
shockingly discovered that veterans’
lives were not safe in the
veterans hospital. Th e book,
based on real-life investigations,
revealed that VA facilities are
poorly funded, oft en understaff
ed and manned with inexperienced
doctors and nurses.
Th is must stop! Programs for
veterans must be richly funded
and available to protect those
men and women who fought to
keep us free.
It’s great to observe holidays
and throw parades honoring our
soldiers’ sacrifi ces, but we must
keep in mind the state of our
local VA hospitals and ensure
that they are properly run.
Volunteer to work at these hospitals,
or call your congressman
or woman and make sure that
they are funding and supporting
the oft en desperate need to
help veterans get the best mental
and physical health care they
deserve.
VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
Books worth
reading
Jerry Schmetterer and his coauthors
used their detective and prosecuting
days to write riveting books that
make great summer reading: “Crooked
Brooklyn,” “E-Man: Life in the NYPD
Emergency Service” and “Behind the
Curtain.”
Another friend is a renaissance man,
Dr. Harvey Manes, a board-certifi ed
orthopedist who, beyond his great medical
credentials, is also an inventor, art
collector and philanthropist.
We met a few years ago at the Nassau
County Museum of Art, where he serves
on the board of directors, and has been
honored for his commitment to the
respected cultural institution.
Having written professional articles
and books, I found his “Dr. Manes E-Z
Pain Relief Guide for Baby Boomers”
an informative read, and I learned from
it.
Dr. Manes, whose passion for art is
decades old, recently helped create the
Manes Family Art And Education Center
on the grounds of the Nassau County
Museum of Art.
At the opening he launched his latest
book, “Collecting Art for Pleasure and
Profi t,” an inside look into collecting art
for you and me. I can tell you it’s aff ordable
for you and me.
Photos by Dominick Totino Photography
Celebrating the one-year anniversary of The Manes Center at the Open House, Laura Lynch,
Director of Education, Dr. Harvey Manes, Board Member and Reem Hussein, Manager of The
Manes Center (Photo courtesy of Nassau County Museum of Art)
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