From the Executive Director's Desk,

Veterans, service members, and friends,

This month we honor all who have served in our country's military. November 11, 2005 is Veterans' Day. For those of you who have served - Thank you! For the family members taking care of home and supporting us while we served - Thank you!

For those of you who are receiving this newsletter for the first time, welcome! If you are receiving this by regular mail and have an e-mail address, we encourage you to go to our Web site www.nyc.gov/veterans and enter your contact information, including email address for the future.

This year's Veterans' Day Parade honors our World War II veterans and commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II. There will also be many events going on in New York City honoring veterans. Some of the events, and information about them, are listed below. Please read and share information with fellow veterans, family, and friends.

This Veterans' Day please remember our service men and women who are still serving in the war on terrorism. Thank them for their service. Until the next time, take care, and . . .

Semper Fi,

Clarice Joynes
Executive Director & Military Liaison
Mayor's Office of Veterans' Affairs

The 2005 Veterans' Day Nation's Parade will start with a Wreath Laying Ceremony at 10:00 a.m., followed by the parade at 11 a.m., Friday, November 11, 2005, in Madison Square Park, 26th Street at Fifth Avenue. This year's parade will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and honor the City's more than 91,000 World War II veterans. Country music artists Montgomery Gentry and Keni Thomas, and the USO Troupe of Metropolitan New York will be performing. The Mayor's Office of Veterans' Affairs and the United War Veterans' Council are urging veterans from all eras to participate in this year's event. For more information, please call the Veterans' Day Parade Hotline at (212) 693-0157 or visit the parade's Web site at www.nationsparade.org. To register to participate in this year's parade, please download the application below:

• Nation's Parade Application Form

The USS Intrepid will host a Veterans' Day Ceremony and Informational Fair for all veterans following the 2005 Veterans' Day Nation's Parade. The Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, November 11, 2005 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. For more information, please call the Intrepid at (212) 957-7020 or visit their Web site at www.intrepidmuseum.org.

The American Freedom Foundation is presenting The 2005 American Freedom Festival at 8 p.m. Friday, November 11, 2005 at the Roseland Ballroom, 239 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. For more information please visit the organization's Web site at www.americanfreedomfoundation.org, e-mail Jack Tilley at jacktilley12@verizon.net or click on the flyer below:

• 2005 American Freedom Festival Flyer

The United States Army Garrison Fort Hamilton is hosting a Veterans' Day Retreat Ceremony at 4:30 p.m., Friday, November 11, 2005 at the flagpole in front of the Garrison's Headquarters Building at 113 Schum Avenue, Brooklyn NY, 11252. Please call (718) 630-4721 for more information.

The Fort Hamilton Post Theater will present a holiday film and clips of Bing Crosby at 7:30 p.m., Monday November 21, 2005. Kathryn Crosby, wife of Bing Crosby will be in attendance for this event which is open to all veterans, military members and Department of Defense employees. Please call (718) 630-4783 for more information.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is honoring our nation's heroes on Veterans' Day by offering every veteran and one guest free admission to the Museum from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday, November 11, 2005. For more information, please visit the Museum's Web site at www.metmuseum.org.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is offering free admission to all veterans and active military personnel on Veterans' Day. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is located at 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280. Please call Abby Spilka at (646) 437-4333 or visit the Museum's Web site at www.mjhnyc.org for more information.

The United States Army Band Pershing's Own will perform two special concerts in New York during the Veterans' Day Weekend. At 1 p.m., Friday, November 11, 2005, a free concert will be at Trinity Church Wall Street, located on Broadway at Wall Street, New York. No tickets are required. For more information call the Trinity Church Wall Street concert hotline at (212) 602-0747.

The United States Army Band, Pershing's Own, will present A Salute to America at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center at 2 p.m., Saturday, November 12, 2005. The concert is free but tickets are required. Get your free tickets on a first-come, first served basis by calling Army Public Affairs New York at (212) 784-0115 or the U.S. Army Military District of Washington Public Affairs at (202) 685-2888. Learn more about the Military District of Washington and the Army Band by visiting their Web sites at www.mdw.army.mil or www.usarmyband.com.

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Art & Antiquities announces Out of Fire and Valor: War Memorials in New York City, an exhibition of photographs and text by Vietnam Veteran Cal Snyder. The photographs will be on display Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, November 2 - Wednesday, December 7, 2005 at The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, 3rd Floor, Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Admission is free and the Gallery will be open on Veterans' Day, November 11, 2005. The gallery is closed November 8, 15, 16 and 24. For more information, please call (212) 360-8163 or visit www.nyc.gov/parks.

The New York Times is sponsoring Salute our Heroes, a veterans' job fair and career expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, November 3, 2005 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. To register and to see a list of participating companies, please visit the event's Web site at www.nytimes.com/saluteourheroes. For more information, please click on the flyer below:

• Salute Our Heroes Job Fair Flyer

The Montford Point Marine Association New York Metropolitan Chapter cordially invites all veterans to its Annual Dinner Dance, from 4 - 9 p.m., Sunday, November 13, 2005 at Antun's Caterers, 96-43 Springfield Boulevard, Queens Village, New York. The association will recognize Major General Cornell Wilson, United States Marine Corps, during the event. The Association is asking for a donation of $70 per person for this semi-formal event. For more information, please call the Montford Point Marines at (212) 267-3318, Joe Davis at (718) 978-7631, or Kenneth Rollock at (201) 569-7113.