By Courtney Dentch
And while the marchers battled the sweltering heat that descended before noon Saturday, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) reminded them it could be worse.
“You think it's hot here?” he asked at the ceremony at the St. Albans Veteran's Hospital following the parade. “It's 110 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers there are carrying packs that weigh as much as me.”
The annual parade and ceremony were organized by the St. Albans Chamber of Commerce, and Borough President Helen Marshall took the top honor as grand marshal of the march, which stretched from Francis Lewis Boulevard to 179th Street along Linden Boulevard.
The Jamaica NAACP, the 113th Precinct Community Council, the Brinkerhoff Action Association, the Springfield Gardens Riflettes cheerleading squad and the Federation of Black Cowboys were among the organizations that followed.
The St. Albans Chamber of Commerce has been holding the parade for at least 15 years to bring the community together, said Alan Pope, head of the chamber.
Said Marshall: “We're here in honor of the veterans who have fought in so many wars to keep this country free.”
