The Vietnam War has been on the mind of Queens again with recent events bringing back memories of a turbulent era when the country was polarized by the conflict.
In late May Borough President Melinda Katz announced she finally had the funding for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the 420 Queens residents who gave their lives in the unpopular war. Eight years ago she had secured $500,000 while in the City Council and just added another $1.5 million from her discretionary funds for the long-awaited memorial.
Pointing out that Queens has more veterans than any other borough, Katz said the idea for the memorial originated with the soldiers who lived here and wanted the sacrifices made by fellow vets recognized.
It will be built at the former site of the Elmhurst gas tanks, which dominated the skyline until they were torn down in 2001 and somehow captured the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s in Queens.
As young men were drafted to fight in Southeast Asia, the streets in New York City and across the nation were filled with anti-war protesters. For Americans serving in Vietnam, the support from home was in question and many became disillusioned. When they returned, there were few parades and the welcome was muted at best.
“The Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial will help address that historical wrong by honoring all Queens residents who gave their lives in the conflict,” said John Rowan, an Elmhurst native and president of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Pat Toro, late head of the Queens chapter of the group, had fought for years for the memorial before he died of Agent Orange, the herbicide that has killed thousands of Vietnam vets.
The death of boxing great Muhammed Ali reminded us of the sacrifice he made by refusing to serve in Vietnam on religious and racial grounds in 1967. He was stripped of his world heavyweight title and not allowed back into the ring for four years until after the Supreme Court lifted his conviction on draft evasion charges.
Vilified by some and extolled by others for his stand, Ali became America’s conscience as a civil rights leader, devoted Muslim and humanitarian.
Last month President Obama visited Hanoi, where he announced the end of the U.S. arms embargo despite reservations that Vietnam still had to improve its human rights record. But China was rumbling in the background, which forced the move.
More than 40 years after Saigon fell, Vietnam still has a powerful hold on this country. The Queens memorial will help us heal the old wounds and move on.
