As part of an early celebration of Veterans Day, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 551 Auxiliary hosted its annual parade on Sunday, Nov. 9, from Metropolitan Avenue and 80th Street to Christ the King High School in Middle Village.
Community members were on hand to view the parade and honor those who served overseas. Various local organizations were represented by those who marched.
Multiple elected officials were also present for the parade. This included Rep. Grace Meng, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, Council Member Robert Holden and Council Member-Elect Phil Wong.
“We owe our veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude for serving our nation. They have made sacrifices to protect our freedom, and we all know that their service did not stop when they came home, when they took off their uniforms. It continues, and we see it’s evident every day in our community,” Meng said. “[Veterans Day] is a day for our whole country to recognize those who did make the ultimate sacrifice, who fought to preserve American values, equality, liberty, justice and safety for all of us. I’m so proud to represent Queens, which is home to more veterans than any other borough in this city.”
“There’s nothing I respect more than those who put their lives on the line for our country,” Rajkumar said. “That is why, when I was elected to the State Assembly, the first committee that I asked to sit on was the Veterans Committee. I’m proud to say that I have passed two bills this session to make it easier for veterans to receive the benefits, so that when they come home, they have the services that they need, that we owe them. Just this coming week, it’s expected that Gov. Kathy Hochul is going to sign those bills into law. I am happy for this work that I’ve been able to do for veterans at the legislative level. I also firmly believe no veteran should be homeless, which is why I have introduced bills to expand eligibility for housing for veterans, and I’m hopeful that we can build more housing for our veterans and end the scourge of homelessness for those who have served our country every year.”
The grand marshal for the parade was Specialist Thomas A. Bullaro, a Middle Village resident who served during the Vietnam War. He was born in Sicily, Italy, before he and his family moved to the United States right before he turned 11. Upon turning 18, Bullaro tried enlisting in the U.S. Navy, but was denied because he was not an American citizen. He would later be drafted by the U.S. Army and, shortly before being deployed, he successfully became a U.S. citizen.
As an artillery mechanic and supply coordinator for the 4th Infantry Division in Pleiku, Bullaro managed to distinguish himself through his dedication, resourcefulness and leadership. He was responsible for ensuring his battery was fully equipped and well-supplied in Vietnam. Bullaro’s foresight and initiative were very helpful in the establishment and development of base camps. Additionally, he coordinated resupply missions under challenging conditions.
When Bullaro took part in combat, he volunteered to assist the ammunition section, loading thousands of howitzer rounds. He would then often return to the base camp and assist with cleaning up and resupplying. He led by example with his commitment, organization and work ethic.
“I wish that people would join the service to learn and see what they have in this country, that the other countries are not as good as this country,” Bullaro said. “There’s no other country that’s better than this, period.”
