Commander of USS New York visits Fair
2009-09-03
The commander and several crew members of the USS New York, the ship depicted in this year's State Fair sand sculpture, will visit the Fair today and participate in the annual Veterans Day ceremony.
Today is Veterans Day at the Fair, and all veterans and active duty military personnel get in for free with proof of their service.
Commander Curt Jones, crew members from New York State, and former crew members of the last Navy Ship named after New York, will attend the 11 a.m. ceremony at the Fair Veterans Memorial in front of the Horticulture Building.
The memorial includes a piece of wreckage from the World Trade Center. The USS New York, a troop carrier that will be commissioned in November, was built with 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The veterans ceremony this year will honor veterans who served during the Korean War.
Also attending the ceremony will be State Sen. Malcom Smith, D-Queens, who is hosting a luncheon in the Empire Room at noon focused on his "One New York" unity campaign for upstate and downstate New York.
After the ceremony, Commander Jones and the crew members will be at the sand sculpture in the Center of Progress Building, where they will meet with the public and media.
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