In Memoriam

Christmas surprise in Ozone Park

From PIX11:

Welcoming home a loved one for Christmas never gets old.

When it's a soldier serving the country that you haven't seen for years, there's almost no way to describe the feeling.

One Queens family got to experience that feeling first hand when Santa helped make a Christmas wish come true.

It happened at P.S. 121 in Ozone Park. PIX11 was there as Army Spc. Paul Hernandez was reunited with some of his siblings for the first time in years.

Howard Beach army truck mystery

From the Forum:

A large, camouflage military truck has been sitting vacant on 78th Street in Howard Beach for the past several months, leading residents to question why authorities have not stepped in to move it.

Joseph C. Thompson, president of the not-for-profit Civilian Observation Patrol in Howard Beach, said he is aware of the truck’s presence in the neighborhood and believes it was used to transport homeowners to safer ground during Hurricane Sandy. As for making a complaint, Thompson suggested that residents call the police or 311, but said as long as a vehicle has a valid license plate and registration, it can be parked idly without a problem unless alternate side parking rules are in effect for the area.

“If it doesn’t have plates, you have to call the police precinct or 311 to see if they can make a summons,” he said. “If there are enough summonses, the vehicle could be towed. Maybe [the owner] doesn’t have any place to park such a big vehicle.”

The community affairs department of the 106th Precinct did not return calls seeking comment and the owner of the truck could not be identified by press time.

Has Osvaldo redeemed himself?

From the NY Post:

The Queens man who went from ex-con to hero soldier -- after Gov. David Paterson granted him a surprise Christmas pardon -- is back from Afghanistan, but no closer to fulfilling his dream of being an NYPD cop.

Army Specialist Osvaldo Hernandez, 28, who had served eight months in prison on a gun-possession rap before becoming a paratrooper in Afghanistan, had been issued a "full and unconditional" pardon on Christmas Eve by Paterson.

However, Hernandez just returned from his second tour in Afghanistan, where he supervised a team of machine gunners and was recently promoted to sergeant, but he is no closer to being a cop.

"It's been over five years now serving in the United States Army," he told The Post today in an interview. "I've put my life on the line for this country, but that's something I feel really good about and I'm ready to do it for the NYPD."

Hernandez's lawyer said his NYPD application remains in limbo.

He said he hopes the NYPD will consider his application and allow him to be a cop.

Quinn wants tickertape parade for Iraq vets

From Fox 5:

New York City has thrown ticker-tape parades along the Canyon of Heroes for the Yankees and Giants in recent years. So what about a parade for some real heroes?

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she would like the city to honor the thousands of local heroes who have served in Iraq. But the question is when? Even though the military has pulled out big combat brigades from Iraq and President Obam declared major combat operations over, about 50,000 troops remain in harm's way in Iraq until at least the end of 2011.

Speaker Quinn, who did not support the war in Iraq, said a parade would not be about politics -- it would simply be the right thing to do to show appreciation for the sacrifice of so many Americans. She said she and Mayor Michael Bloomberg would work with veterans' groups to make the parade a reality at the appropriate time.

National Guard being deployed to the border

From Fox News:

President Obama told Senate Republicans Tuesday that he's read the controversial Arizona immigration law and is concerned it would allow for discrimination -- but is planning to deploy up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to allay security concerns.

An administration official confirmed to Fox News that Obama plans to request $500 million for "enhanced border protection and law enforcement" and deploy the National Guard troops as needed.

The official said the National Guard would be used to "provide intelligence; surveillance and reconnaissance support; intelligence analysis; immediate support to counternarcotics enforcement; and training capacity until Customs and Border Patrol can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border."

From Fox 5:

Bloomberg says countries that welcome immigrants prosper.

He says the U.S. has had some "disgraceful" and "stupid periods" in which it tried to close its borders.

Added Bloomberg: "Fortunately, sanity prevailed."

Wow, talk about twisting the truth! We aren't trying to stop immigration. We are trying to prevent a breach of security in a post-9/11 world. Remember 9/11? It was the event that made you mayor. We were thinking of making you president at one time, too, but fortunately, sanity prevailed.

Governor pardons army man for gun charge

From the Daily News:

Gov. David Paterson has pardoned a former Army paratrooper who did time on a felony weapons charge in 2002 so the Queens resident can pursue his dream of becoming a police officer.

Paterson said Osvaldo Hernandez "has demonstrated that individuals can turn their lives around and that we need not let our mistakes define us."

At the age of 20, Hernandez pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree in 2002 and sentenced to a year in prison. He served eight months and enlisted in the Army as soon as he was released and went on to become a decorated specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Hernandez's felony conviction prevented him from being allowed to carry a gun, which scuttled his dream of becoming a member of the NYPD.

Sweet housing deal for federal workers

From the NY Post:

Talk about a safe house.

At Fort Hamilton Homes in Bay Ridge, prospective tenants are being offered awesome views of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, spacious living accommodations, and peace of mind — reinforced quite literally by the fact that their homes are guarded by the United States Army, this paper has learned.

The Fort Hamilton army base is now allowing postal workers, U.S. Census Bureau staff — any federal employee or military retiree — an opportunity to live shoulder to musket with active military personnel.

Army base spokesperson John Manley said the housing was opened up to federal employees within the last eight months. “Essentially, it’s because there aren’t enough soldiers on active duty here,” he said. “We’re trying to fill up the housing and open it up to other eligible categories.”

The development company maintains the housing for the federal government in exchange for the rent it collects. Once it was seen that there were not enough people to fill the 288 available units, the criteria were loosened, Manley said. “It is a business to them,” Manley noted. “They are looking to fill the units.”

In total, there are 185 newly constructed homes and 37 newly renovated homes on the base, along with six newly renovated historic homes. Shapiro said that just 53 of the total units remain vacant. All the units are rentals she said, with a range of prices: a three bedroom, 2,000 square foot apartment rents for $2,499 a month until Oct. 31, for example, and a one bedroom goes for $1,100 a month. “The beauty of it is that while we are situated in Brooklyn, we have rolling hills and grass here. It’s a little slice of heaven,” she said.

Anthony Mercante, the asset manager for the privatized housing program, called Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), said the units are a conglomeration of sorts, from town homes to garden style apartments.

Our local heroes

From AM-NY:

Spc. Juan Arango, 24, of Elmhurst, served as a gunner in Afghanistan with the New York National Guard last year.

Read about his sacrifices as well as those of Jamaica native Sgt. Annmelissa Harvey.

Queens recruiting center offering citizenship for enlistment

From the Queens Courier:

A Department of Defense pilot program is drawing foreign nationals from all over the country to come to Queens – and join the Army.

The program has a typically obscure military anagram name: MAVNI.

It stands for “Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest,” which is hardly more enlightening. When word of the pilot program first became public, misinformation spread.

Sergeant First Class Larry Nelson, station commander of the Army Recruiting Station at 36-40 Main Street in Flushing, is happy to set the record straight.

The reward is that once in the Army, MAVNI recruits can apply for citizenship immediately. The catch is that if they fail to complete their enlistment, their citizenship can be revoked.

Prospective recruits must be between the ages of 17 and 41; have been in the U.S. on student, employment and other visas for a minimum of two years without having left for 90 days or more; speak one of about 48 specific languages; have at least a high school diploma and pass medical, security and the Army entry exam.

The language list is divided into three priorities, with various dialects of Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Punjabi, Hindi, Moro, and other Asian and African tongues listed as “Priority 1” and sought for 40% or more of the MAVNI contracts.

Mandarin and Cantonese, Korean and several other Asian and European languages are capped at a maximum of 30 percent. Spanish is not on the list.