By Tom Momberg
The Jefferson Democratic Club and several elected officials honored World War II veteran Lt. Thomas Dent of Little Neck for his service at its November meeting the day after Veterans Day.
State Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) presented Dent with a state Assembly Proclamation in recognition of his service. Also, state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) presented him with a Senate Citation and Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) gave him a City Council Citation in honor of Dent’s military and community service.
Dent enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and was deployed as an officer of a patrol torpedo boat in the Pacific Ocean during the war. He was injured by shrapnel from a Japanese bomb and saved lives during combat.
Dent was decorated with the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, along with a Purple Heart. Upon his return to the city, he stayed active in civic affairs in his northeast Queens community.
The Little Neck man was a founding member of the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee, a volunteer organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the wetlands and wooded areas of the Little Neck Bay inlet.
Dent also once served as the director of the Westmoreland Association, a civic group serving Little Neck and Douglaston. ~Tom Momberg
