Rendering (Parks Department)
Dec. 11, 2019 By Kristen Torres
A new memorial honoring Vietnam War veterans will be unveiled in Elmhurst Park later this month.
The memorial will feature the names of 371 Queens service members who died during the Vietnam War or are classified as “missing in action,” according to Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.
The memorial, which has gone up on the northwest corner of the park, will be the first of its kind dedicated to the fallen and lost Vietnam War solders from Queens.
According to Katz, Queens is home to nearly 59,000 veterans — more than any other borough. The memorial’s construction was spearheaded by the late President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32, Pat Toro.
“Prior to his passing in 2014, the Marine Corps veteran was a staunch advocate for a boroughwide memorial to recognize the sacrifices made by hundreds of Queens residents and their families during the Vietnam War,” said a statement by Katz’s office.
The memorial’s design and construction was fully funded by Katz, totaling nearly $2.9 million.
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the memorial will take place Friday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m.
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2 Comments
Remembering my friend Richie who was a wonderful young man taken too soon.
I saw his name on the DC Vietnam Memorial.
He was only 19.
With the way people destroy things with graffiti and hateful language, I hope there are cameras around or it’s guarded because the Vets deserve every protection from us they way they made the ultimate sacrifice for us, even though they were disrespected when they came back. All veterans need to be respected and saluted, no matter what war they gave their life for.