A Veterans’ memorial has finally found a permanent place in a County park after over twenty years of renovations and efforts from local leaders and elected officials.
The Vietnam Era Hauppauge Honor Roll monument was created to memorialize and honor Hauppauge natives who fought in the Vietnam Era, a term used by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs classifies Veterans who served during the Vietnam War.
The original monument was erected in 1966, fell into disrepair and dislocation, prompting leaders, Veterans’ organizations, and local government to not only beautify and revitalize the monument, but find it a permanent home.
Kevin O’Hare, President of the Suffolk County Citizens’ Police Academy Alumni Association (SCCPAAA), a Kings Park resident, and a Vietnam Veteran himself, led the charge to restore the monument to its former glory.
The monument was restored in 2016 by Eagle Scout Nick Sanders and names were added to the plaques last year. Most recently, the monument was located in Bill Richards Park, located just adjacent to Blydenburgh County Park on Veterans Memorial Highway (Route 454) in Hauppauge.
However, the journey for the monument and those it honors was much more turbulent.
From its creation in 1966 until 2001, it was located at the corner of Old Willets Path and Route 454. O’Hare helped restore the monument in 2001, but that began the long journey of finding a home for it.
“We come today to honor and remember the service and sacrifice of all those that served this great nation,” said Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency Director Marcelle Leis, Retired Command Sergeant and Chief Master Sergeant. “And to our Vietnam Veterans who are here today, welcome home,” she added, invoking the customary greeting for Vietnam Veterans.
“I got a call in 2001 asking for help with this monument,” said O’Hare. “It was in the woods, turned sideways, and about to fall over. The minute we touched the base, it collapsed. We carted it off on a flatbed, and a Navy Veteran, Norm Strong, took it to his shop in his garage.”
O’Hare says that Strong found that the monument had been significantly decayed, crawling with termites and mice. The only alternative was to build a new monument.
“We put ads in the papers looking for anyone who should have their names on the new monument,” said O’Hare. “Norm Strong took it upon himself to design it and he held it in his garage for over a year while I went around trying to find a place to put it.”
O’Hare added that levels of government jurisdiction precluded the monument from being placed on certain lands, specifically as it relates to Town monuments on County land.
O’Hare said that he consulted with the State Department of Transportation, who he said “turned me down twice.” He even considered a place in Commack, which was ultimately not agreed upon due to traffic concerns, and O’Hare’s own reservations about moving the memorial from Hauppauge, which would have defeated its original purpose.
Former Smithtown Supervisor Pat Vecchio offered O’Hare Bill Richards Park. Following the dedication, O’Hare was approached by Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), who recommended an Eagle Scout in her district who was looking for a project. The aforementioned Nick Sanders restored the names on the plaques that had fallen off from years of sun exposure.
Finally, the monument found its home in Blydenburgh County Park, after which it received masonry supplies from an anonymous donor and multiple labor hours from members of the Suffolk County Parks department to install the monument just near the park’s boat ramp.
“It was very labor-intensive to find a place for this memorial,” said O’Hare. He thanked Legislator Kennedy, Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Kings Park), who, during his time on the Smithtown Town Board, helped the project along during its stint at Bill Richards Park, as well as Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches).
“Both county executives gave me full control of the project,” O’Hare told The Messenger, referring to former Executive Steve Bellone (D-West Babylon) and current Executive Romaine. “They gave me full control of the Parks Department [regarding the project]. They were here when I wanted to meet them here.”
O’Hare says his next project will be to work on free admittance to Blydenburgh for Veterans, as Veterans do not pay in various County and Town parks.
County Executive Romaine, a former history teacher at Hauppauge High School, gave the brief history lesson on the Vietnam Era, discussing the war under President Kennedy (D-MA), to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution under President Lyndon Johnson (D-TX).
“This country went astray in the early 1970s when they didn’t recognize and respect those who served, who were called to service for this country. We’re here to say we’re going to make up for that,” said Romaine, referencing the poor treatment of Vietnam Veterans for years after the war. “We’re always going to remember your service. Welcome home and thank you to all those who served our country so honorably in difficult times.”
Romaine said the monument’s dedication is “long overdue,” and that it will “stand forever to recognize people who served in difficult times, answered the call, and served honorably.”
Legislator Leslie Kennedy, a long-time partner of the project, said that she and County Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset) have been “protecting” the monument for over twenty years, going back to when Comptroller Kennedy represented the Twelfth District in the County Legislature.
“I learned about what happened in Vietnam when I was six years old from my father, a World War II Purple Heart Marine, at a Memorial Day parade in Commack. He explained to me what went on [in Vietnam] and the questions about was it a legitimate war and the peoples’ horrible reactions,” said Legislator Kennedy. “And ever since that day, when I realized the unfairness of the way people that served our country were treated by other people who take for granted all their liberties, I’ve been a protector.”
Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa (C-Selden), Chair of the Veterans Committee, also delivered remarks.
“It’s an honor to ensure that our Veterans of all conflicts, generations, and eras get the due recognition they deserve as well as their family members. This is a great tribute that families can come for generations with your grandchildren, great-grandchildren,” said Caracappa. “Suffolk County recognizes its Veterans. We thank you for your great service to this country and to this county, because you keep giving back every chance you get.”
Congressman Nick LaLota, a Navy Veteran, addressed attendees as well.
“It’s incumbent upon all of us, especially those who wore the uniform afterwards, to properly recognize that our Vietnam Veterans sacrificed both overseas but sometimes more so when they got home without the proper welcome, treatment, and respect that their service and their uniform commanded,” said LaLota. “We [the U.S.] have provided more freedom and opportunity not just to individuals within our own borders, but overseas as well. And at the tip of that spear is the fighting American man and woman.”
Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, a Vietnam Veteran and a long-time help over the course of the monument’s life, said “we’re proud of the fact that Smithtown has one of the highest Veteran populations in Suffolk County, particularly since Suffolk County is the second-largest home of Veterans in the country.”
“This memorial is deeply personal to me. This location is beautiful and now, more people will be able to admire it,” said Wehrheim. “Kids will learn about our local Vietnam Veterans, their stories and the sacrifices that they made.”
The monument has two boards, one for Vietnam Veterans of Hauppauge, and another for Veterans of other wars and eras who are or were also native to Hauppauge.
Several other public officials were present, including Suffolk County Park Commissioner John Giannott, Assemblymembers Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson Station), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-St. James), and Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow), Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Smithtown Councilmembers Tom Lohmann (R-Smithtown) and Lisa Inzerillo (R-Kings Park), Smithtown Clerk Tom McCarthy (R-Smithtown), Suffolk County Comptroller Kennedy, and Suffolk County Legislators Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park), and Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue). A representative for Legislator Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point), a Marine reservist, was also present.
To the Hauppauge monument, Vietnam Veterans, and Veterans of all wars and eras: welcome home, indeed.
