Speaker Christine C. Quinn said:
“After the announcement of an initial drawdown of forces in 2010, we called for a celebration—a parade—in honor of the troops returning from Iraq when the time was right. In 2012, the time is now, and we support Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s (IAVA) call for cities across the country to take action to thank our nation’s courageous men and women who have returned home from combat in Iraq.

“We recognize that many service men and women remain stationed abroad. While military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere have not concluded, the fact remains that our military has made commendable achievements in Iraq. To that end, a citywide celebration recognizing the incredible contribution these soldiers have made in the name of freedom is in order. The sacrifices made by our troops and their families cannot be ignored and deserve to be honored by cities across the nation, New York City first and foremost.

“The veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom have performed their duty and it is now our duty – and privilege – to rejoice in their homecoming and honor their great work.

“Let us be one of the first cities to open its arms and streets for our service men and women to stand united in celebration – not in combat.”

Veterans Committee Chair Mathieu Eugene said:
“As a city, I believe we should honor the men and women who have served our country by organizing a celebration as they return home. This is a valuable way we can show our support for the sacrifices they have made to protect our freedom and way of life. We need to properly welcome them back home by having a public ceremony celebrating their outstanding service, and as the Chair of the Veterans Committee, I call upon all New Yorkers to join me in recognizing and addressing the needs of veterans.”

Council Member Vincent Ignizio said:
“A ‘Welcome Home’ celebration that would both show our appreciation to our veterans that fought in Iraq and memorialize those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in that war is the traditional way NYC honors and says ‘thank you’ to our veterans. I hope we can finally move this proposal forward and host a celebration for our heroes as only NYC can.”

Minority Leader James Oddo said:
“We have a long history in New York City of honoring our returning heroes with celebrations. I can think of no greater American heroes than our brave soldiers who risked their lives in combat. Such a celebration would show our soldiers how much we appreciate their sacrifices on behalf of us all. We all know the difficulties we are facing as a nation and this celebration could, at least for a day, make us forget about our differences and focus our attention on our heroes.”

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