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 Thursday 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, selflessness and sacrifice in donning our nation’s uniform,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said. “The debt we owe our heroes and their families can never be properly repaid.”
The Veterans Day Observance Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. inside the Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens. The event will also feature keynote remarks by Veterans Benefits 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.
