Councilman Gentile Asks, “What About The Real Giants?”

The Giants Super Bowl victory parade in 2008 (Source: tedkerwin via Flickr).

The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile:

CITY HALL –   Today thousands of New Yorkers will line the streets of lower Manhattan to welcome home the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.  The players will be showered with confetti as they are given one of the city’s most storied honors: a parade through the Canyon of Heroes.  So why can’t we also honor our returning veterans with a ticker-tape parade? Do they not deserve their own day in the sun down the Canyon of Heroes?

“I think we can all agree that the New York Giants deserve a parade for winning the Super Bowl,” said Councilman Gentile, who sits on the New York City Council’s Committee on Veterans. “I’ll be there today cheering them on along with everyone else. But if a football team gets a parade, shouldn’t our veterans? Are they not the real giants here?”

Councilman Gentile joins a growing chorus of his colleagues in the New York City Council along with everyone from former Mayor Ed Koch to the Council on Foreign Relations who feel that it’s time we honor America’s sons and daughters even as many troops are still at war around the world.

“Not only is it the right thing to do and it’s the least we can do for these brave men and women to honor the sacrifices they’ve made to protect our freedom abroad.”

City Council Member Vincent Gentile represents Council District 43, which includes Bay Ridge, as well as parts of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst.