State Sen. and Marine Corps veteran James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) hosted a Veterans Day Luncheon at Applebee’s at Five Towns for dozens of veterans. Sanders thanked the vets for their service and invited them to share their opinions and suggestions on how he could better represent their needs at the state government level and here in the community.
“As a proud Marine Corps veteran, it is a pleasure and an honor to share this Veterans Day with my fellow service members—men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom,” Sanders said. “They can count on my continued support, not just on Veterans Day, but every day.”
Most of the guests at the luncheon came from the New York State Veterans’ Home at St. Albans, but veteran leaders from the community were also present. They included Shamel Lawrence Sr., commander of the Rosedale American Legion and the Queens County vice commander of the American Legion, Chaplain Ed Davis of the Rosedale American Legion, Lee Blackmon, immediate past commander of the Rosedale American Legion, and the Rev. Edward McKay, an Air Force veteran and the first vice chairman of Queens Community Board 12.
Sanders said, “We would like to thank Applebee’s for their support and cooperation in helping us host this event, and applaud their policy of serving free entrees to service members on Veterans Day.”