FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 53
Queens Borough Hall to host annual
Veterans Day Observance Ceremony
Courtesy of Katz’s offi ce
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.
Forest Hills clinic off ering free dental
care for veterans and their families
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
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 off er free dental services
for United States Military veterans
and their immediate families throughout
the month of November.
Many veterans don’t qualify for dental
benefi ts 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 aff ordable
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 diff erence 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 fi rst new fully
accredited American Dental Association
teaching program in over 27 years.
Students in the program work under
the supervision of a certifi ed dentist to
conduct a full oral cleaning along with
Photo via Getty Images
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 fl oor of
118-35 Queens Blvd. Veterans can make
an appointment by calling 718-779-
1432.
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
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
Th ursday 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 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
who have displayed unimaginable courage,
selfl essness and sacrifi ce in donning
our nation’s uniform,” Queens Borough
President Melinda Katz said. “Th e debt
we owe our heroes and their families can
never be properly repaid.”
Th e Veterans Day Observance Ceremony
will begin at 11 a.m. inside the Helen
Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough
Hall in Kew Gardens. Th e event will also feature
keynote remarks by Veterans Benefi ts
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.
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