NEW YORK CITY, NY - New York City was once known as one of the greatest, most diverse, and culturally rich cities in the world.
Unfortunately, NYC has lost a bit of its luster. They have tainted their reputation after they have politically turned their backs on the law enforcement community by labeling them evil. They were also one of the first American cities to push to defund the police.
In fact, in 2020, then-Mayor DeBlasio was one of the leading advocates to defund the police and now the city is paying for it with high violent crime, a broken justice system, and thousands of frustrated New Yorkers demanding the return of the infamous NYPD to get back to proper policing.
But one thing New York City still does well is honor veterans with a beautiful, elaborate, and heartfelt parade. And one of the reasons this specific parade stands out is because of its close relationship with law enforcement.
Dozens of floats, groups, and marchers donned their uniforms and departmental colors and proudly walked down 5th Ave. It was heartwarming to see thousands of parade attendees applaud and honor each law enforcement agency that walked by them, especially in New York City.
It was a staunch reminder that not everyone in major liberal cities dislike the police. In fact, most people, especially many New Yorkers, support their officers because they understand how important law and order is to maintain a stable society.
As a whole, the NYC Veteran's Day parade was a fantastic experience, especially for people like Army combat veteran Krystal Cordero, the veteran in charge of coordinating the parade’s attendees.
“The parade means everything to me as a veteran and for those still in the military. We have our core values and selfless service is one that I always hold dear,” Krystal told LET.
She added, “You can't expect the community to support you if you're not also giving back to the community and representing yourself outside of the uniform. So being here in a leadership role and then still being able to interact with the community - we don't get to do that when we wear uniforms. But we get to do it now and it just means the world to me.”
Another veteran, U.S. Army active-duty Brigadier General Loyd took a moment to tell LET what he thought about the parade.
“It's an honor to be here in New York City. They do a great job just honoring not only today on Veteran’s Day, but throughout the year. I'm just really honored and humbled to be amongst other veterans. That's what it's about, to take pause, recognize and honor those who have served the nation and in some cases made the ultimate sacrifice,” General Loyd said.
He added, “We've got a lot of Gold Star families here today who lost loved ones and just it's always special to be around them and other veterans.”
General Loyd also noticed the sheer amount of law enforcement and first responders who participated in the parade.
“First responders, especially here in New York City, have so many veterans among them, those who have served the nation and then got out and gone on to serve NYPD or FDNY, just the incredible amount of veterans that do that. I think, equally, the service to the nation and the military, those who serve as first responders, we need to honor them as well. It's great to see so many that have served, that have continued that sacrifice and service to the nation, just in another capacity,” he said.
Hopefully, the New York City Veteran’s Day parade is a symbolic event that represents the change in attitude from the public and the political realm, that we as a country need law enforcement, especially the NYPD, and we all need to support them along with our veteran community.
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Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
For corrections or revisions, click here.
Unfortunately, NYC has lost a bit of its luster. They have tainted their reputation after they have politically turned their backs on the law enforcement community by labeling them evil. They were also one of the first American cities to push to defund the police.
In fact, in 2020, then-Mayor DeBlasio was one of the leading advocates to defund the police and now the city is paying for it with high violent crime, a broken justice system, and thousands of frustrated New Yorkers demanding the return of the infamous NYPD to get back to proper policing.
But one thing New York City still does well is honor veterans with a beautiful, elaborate, and heartfelt parade. And one of the reasons this specific parade stands out is because of its close relationship with law enforcement.
Dozens of floats, groups, and marchers donned their uniforms and departmental colors and proudly walked down 5th Ave. It was heartwarming to see thousands of parade attendees applaud and honor each law enforcement agency that walked by them, especially in New York City.
It was a staunch reminder that not everyone in major liberal cities dislike the police. In fact, most people, especially many New Yorkers, support their officers because they understand how important law and order is to maintain a stable society.
As a whole, the NYC Veteran's Day parade was a fantastic experience, especially for people like Army combat veteran Krystal Cordero, the veteran in charge of coordinating the parade’s attendees.
“The parade means everything to me as a veteran and for those still in the military. We have our core values and selfless service is one that I always hold dear,” Krystal told LET.
She added, “You can't expect the community to support you if you're not also giving back to the community and representing yourself outside of the uniform. So being here in a leadership role and then still being able to interact with the community - we don't get to do that when we wear uniforms. But we get to do it now and it just means the world to me.”
Another veteran, U.S. Army active-duty Brigadier General Loyd took a moment to tell LET what he thought about the parade.
“It's an honor to be here in New York City. They do a great job just honoring not only today on Veteran’s Day, but throughout the year. I'm just really honored and humbled to be amongst other veterans. That's what it's about, to take pause, recognize and honor those who have served the nation and in some cases made the ultimate sacrifice,” General Loyd said.
He added, “We've got a lot of Gold Star families here today who lost loved ones and just it's always special to be around them and other veterans.”
General Loyd also noticed the sheer amount of law enforcement and first responders who participated in the parade.
“First responders, especially here in New York City, have so many veterans among them, those who have served the nation and then got out and gone on to serve NYPD or FDNY, just the incredible amount of veterans that do that. I think, equally, the service to the nation and the military, those who serve as first responders, we need to honor them as well. It's great to see so many that have served, that have continued that sacrifice and service to the nation, just in another capacity,” he said.
Hopefully, the New York City Veteran’s Day parade is a symbolic event that represents the change in attitude from the public and the political realm, that we as a country need law enforcement, especially the NYPD, and we all need to support them along with our veteran community.
----------------
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
For corrections or revisions, click here.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments
2024-12-01T22:35-0500 | Comment by: eddie
Thank you all for your service