14 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 14, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Ramierez Espinal is escorted by her brother in the Veterans Day Parade.
Helen Ramierez Espinal is escorted to a parade fl oat by 24th Precinct Auxiliary offi cers where to be
married to Marine Sgt. Joseph Cedeno.
College Point bride marries Marine during Veterans Day Parade
BY TODD MAISEL
Many participants at Monday’s 100th
Veterans Day Parade wore military
fatigues or spiff y uniforms, but Queens
resident Helen Ramierez Espinal was
clad in a lacy white wedding gown and
wore a purple heart gemstone around
her neck.
Her fellow volunteer offi cers from the
NYPD’s 24th Precinct Auxiliary Unit
touched up her makeup for her big
Veterans Day moment — her wedding.
Ramierez, of College Point, was ready to
meet up with her “offi cer and gentleman,”
Marine Sergeant Joseph Cedeno, who
was riding on a Chase Bank fl oat in the
100-year-old parade down Fift h Avenue
— part of the Military Order of the Purple
Heart, of which he is a recipient.
When the fl oat arrived, her brother,
Marine Private Fadrianny Ramierez
took her by her arm, her father Geraldo
Ramierez kissed her lightly on the cheek
and then escorted them aboard. Many of
her family members were also aboard the
fl oat — most of them, like herself, immigrants
from the Dominican Republic.
On the fl oat, a minister waited for them
to stand atop the viewing stand together
where the couple then took their vows to
the delight of parade onlookers. Visitors
shouted their congratulations to the couple
as they exchanged rings and were
pronounced man and wife, kissing with
thousands of witnesses by the time they
reached 34th Street.
Cedeno, an immigrant from Columbia,
served three tours in Iraq from 2005-2007
and was wounded in Anbar Province
during severe sectarian violence aft er the
invasion to oust Saddam Hussein and to
fi nd weapons of mass destruction.
Sgt. Cedeno received numerous medals
for his bravery, but his biggest reward was
Ramierez Espinal’s hand in marriage, who
he had met in College Point when he was
working in the neighborhood.
“I was just in her neighborhood and it
ended up happening,” said the joyous Sgt.
Cedeno as he and his bride waved to the
adoring crowds.
As to why the couple picked this day,
Sgt. Cedeno said it was for everyone.
“Why this day — it is not just for
myself, but I wanted it for every single
service member out there: the Marines,
Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, the Navy,”
he said. “It’s not just my day, but its for all
them, too.”
Ramierez Espinal agreed, saying the
military has a special place in their hearts.
“We picked today because it’s important
not just for him, but for me and we
just wanted to share it,” she said. “We are
both very private and we were going to get
married Th ursday, but one of our mentors
recommended we do it at the parade.
Even though it was a little nerve-wracking,
it was for all veterans.”
Ramierez Espinal said they want people
to know that being a veteran is not just
about “PTSD, suicide and all the stigmas.”
“We wanted to show what defi nes veterans
— those happy moments that they
should have more of,” she said. “Sharing
it with thousands of New Yorkers who
came to pay respects we thought was a
great idea, not just about Joseph I but all
of them.”
Both immigrants, Ramierez Espinal
called the U.S. “an amazing country.” She
said he feels it important to serve the public
as an auxiliary offi cer and she wants to
correct the “stigma” from news reports
that offi cers sometimes have.
“We want to show that we are just
human beings,” she sighed.
Photos by Todd Maisel
The Marines' marching band performs during the parade.
Ramierez Espinal and Sgt. Cedeno seal their vows with a kiss. Pronounced husband and wife, Sgt. Cedeno and Ramierez Espinal wave to the crowd.
/WWW.QNS.COM
