Woodside Street Renamed For Iraq War Hero

Frank Carvill, an American soldier killed in Iraq, was honored Wednesday as local politicians renamed the corner of 59th St. and Woodside Ave. for the New Jersey resident. N.J. National Guardsman Carvill, 51, was killed June 4, 2004 in Baghdad when his convoy struck a roadside bomb, his brother Dan Carvill said.
At a memorial service following the renaming, Carvill’s sister Peggy said, “It is really important for me and the family to remember Frank not by how he died but by how he lived.”
Carvill helped found the Irish Reform Movement in 1987 and was a founding member of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, a Woodside community organization that helps immigrants to find jobs, get visas and become acclimated to America.
Carvill, who had been eligible for retirement, had given up his spot to return to the United States a few days before his death for a comrade who had a family emergency.
“With a thousand street signs and monuments, we could not adequately honor him and his life,” said Councilmember Eric Gioia, who pushed the street renaming through the legislature. Also on hand for the renaming were Assemblymembers Cathy Nolan and Margaret Markey, both of whom had also backed the bill.
csantucci@queenscourier.com