by DOUG AUER
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Injured war veterans got a heroes' reception yesterday at the Concord headquarters of FDNY Rescue Co. 5.
Firefighters gave soldiers -- including Army Capt. Ryan Miller of Elm Park -- a tour of their equipment and rigs and the company's Sept. 11 Memorial dedicated to its 12 brothers killed at Ground Zero.
Miller's body was riddled with shrapnel in Baghdad last year and he has undergone intensive rehabilitation.
He was previously the honorary starter for the 28th annual Memorial Day Run in South Beach.
Refreshments were served to the military personnel, who also got to meet Tony Sirico, the actor better known as Paulie (Walnuts) Gualtieri on HBO's "The Sopranos."
The vets -- with a few British military members joining them -- then hitched rides on fire trucks to Breezy Point in Queens, where the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and Disabled Sports USA are hosting a weekend of fun-filled, adaptive water activities for the troops.
The WWP is a non-profit group that provides services to men and women in the armed forces who have been badly hurt while serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other world conflict spots.
Disabled Sports USA has teamed with WWP to provide soldiers undergoing rehabilitation the opportunity to participate in more than a dozen winter and summer sports free of charge, including transportation, lodging, adaptive equipment and individualized instruction.
 |