The ceremony, held in…
By Ayala Ben-Yehuda
Vietnam veterans, supporters and a host of Queens politicians gathered in Glendale for an emotional ceremony Saturday afternoon to rename 76th Avenue between 88th Street and Woodhaven Boulevard for the Vietnam Veterans of America.
The ceremony, held in front of VVA’s Queens Chapter #32 headquarters, also honored six veterans who had developed illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure with Order of the Silver Rose medals for their sacrifice.
“When the war ended, there was no place in history for the Vietnam veterans,” said Pat Toro Jr., president of the chapter.
The street renaming, Toro said, provided a measure of “dignity and respect” to the veterans who fought America’s most unpopular war.
The Queens chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, formed in 1981, was the VVA’s first New York City group. The chapter moved into its Glendale facility in September 2002 and has held an annual Veterans Information Day since 1991, reaching out to thousands of veterans with information on benefits and job opportunities.
The group also helped create a counseling program for veterans and has worked to raise public awareness about the lingering health effects of herbicides used in Vietnam such as Agent Orange.
The chemical was used by the U.S. military to defoliate the jungles of South Asia in which enemy forces were concealed.
But veterans who developed diseases related to Agent Orange exposure do not meet the criteria for a Military Order of the Purple Heart medal, which is why the Order of the Silver Rose medal was created, according to the Web site of the Order of the Silver Rose.
“No Military Order of the Purple Heart has ever been awarded to a Vietnam veteran for Agent Orange wounds,” the Web site states. “Agent Orange exposure is not considered an eligible wound, because that is the president’s present political policy.”
John Rowan, president of the New York state council of the VVA, said at the ceremony that Agent Orange was linked to more than 20 types of diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, among Vietnam veterans and their children.
Wayne Weisberg, who served with the Army’s 199th Aviation Company in the Mekong Delta in 1967-1968, received an Order of the Silver Rose medal Saturday.
The Sunnyside resident suffers from Type II diabetes and could hardly speak through his tears when asked what the renaming meant to him.
“When we came home, things were terrible for us,” said Weisberg, whose daughter developed a malignant tumor from the herbicide. Weisberg’s brother, also a Vietnam veteran, died of an Agent Orange-related illness.
“To have the street renamed for our fallen heroes is a wonderful feeling,” he said.
The other recipients of the Order of the Silver Rose medal Saturday were Toro, Rowan, Ron Powers, Tom Lewis and Tom Corbin.
City Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) kicked off the ceremony by singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” and was joined in making remarks by state Assemblyman Michael Cohen (D-Forest Hills); City Council members Dennis Gallagher (R-Middle Village), Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights), John Liu (D-Flushing), Eric Gioia (D-Woodside) and Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach).
A round of applause broke out when Gallagher announced that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had signed into law a City Council measure providing for the POW-MIA flag to fly in all city parks where the American flag is flown.
Gallagher presented Frank Caruso, a former Air Force soldier and member of the Glendale chapter’s board of directors, with a City Council proclamation.
Harold Leung, secretary of the chapter and a Jackson Heights resident, said the street renaming meant a great deal to veterans. Leung was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2001.
“In the past, they had a negative reaction from the public, and this is something that counteracts that,” Leung said.
Reach reporter Ayala Ben-Yehuda by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
