By Dan Murphy
The City of Yonkers will hold a ceremony Sept. 22 to unveil a new Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Coyne Park. The memorial will include the names of the 32 Yonkers residents who were killed in action during the Vietnam War more than 45 years ago.
For Yonkers Veterans Affairs Director Lou Navarro, also a Vietnam vet, the memorial was a long and important process to get done. “We have been working on this for more than four years,” he said. “A bunch of Vietnam vets got together and wanted to create something that says ‘welcome home.’ When we came back from the war, we weren’t exactly welcomed back. This monument will help us put a lot of things to rest.”
Through the help of Mayor Mike Spano and many Yonkers Vietnam vets, the memorial and its location were finalized. “The mayor and the City Council helped get this passed and funded,” said Navarro. “And it is really a citywide effort. The Yonkers police and fire departments will be there for the opening, with many of their members Vietnam vets, also. Former Mayor John Spencer, and other Vietnam vets, will be there and helped this happen.”
Also listed on the monument are three soldiers – one Latino, one African-American and one Caucasian – which Navarro said “looks a lot like Yonkers.”
The names on the monument are: PFC Arthur Alterwisher, PFC Joseph Arimento, 2nd Lt. Francis Boyle, SSgt. Lester Bracey, TSgt. Donald Bruck, SP4 Joseph Buonaiuto, ENS James Burke Jr., 1st Lt. Peter Bushey, PO3 Thomas Clark, Cpl. Lee Clore, PFC Carlos De La Hoz, SP5 Jeffrey Dodge, Cpl. William Dorsey, PO3 Keith Duffy, Maj. Robert Fitzgerald, Sgt. David Gamboa, PFC Robert Geary Jr., LCpl. Richard Guiliani, PFC Richard Henrich, Sgt. Luis Hilerio-Padilla, PFC Wayne Horne, SFC Leon Jackson, PFC George Lathan, Sgt. John Lyons, SP4 Peter Mitchell, SP4 Frank Marconi, Maj. James Pitches, CPT Martin Reilly, SP4 Allen Smith, LCpl. John Turner, SSG Franz Wallner and Sgt. Kenneth Kardash.
“We also wanted to do this for the families of those who were killed in Vietnam,” said Navarro. “Those families have suffered as much as we have and for them, this monument will help them finally have closure.”
Empire VFW Post 375 is also participating and will put up a sign that reads “Welcome Home Yonkers Vietnam Veterans.”
“All of us who are Vietnam veterans made a promise that never again will another generation of veterans get abandoned,” said Navarro. “We are the generation that will not forget the next generation. Finally, a lot of us are feeling good about this and the city should be proud.”
The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. September 22 at Coyne Park, 771 McLean Ave., Yonkers.
