Staten Island veterans honored Saturday with banners along Port Richmond Ave

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Port Richmond Strong Civic Association honored 31 Staten Island veterans on Saturday, May 20, for its third annual Banner Celebration.

Veterans from World War II to active duty were honored, including Joseph Grzelak, an FDNY Battalion Chief, who was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The 2023 banner celebration kicked off at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park, where elected officials such as State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon spoke.

Scarcella-Spanton sponsored her husband, Joshua, who is a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan for two deployments in the U.S. Army.

“I was honored to start Armed Forces Day at the Third Annual Port Richmond Banner Celebration to pay tribute to our veterans and recognize their valor, sacrifice, and patriotism,” Scarcella-Spanton wrote on her Twitter. “Seeing my husband on a banner with other Staten Island veterans is such a proud moment for our family.”

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