American Legion Will Ask City Council for New Veterans Memorial
On Wednesday evening, American Legion Post 128 will formally ask the City Council to consider adding a memorial in Rye honoring local veterans serving since the Vietnam War, including those who served in the Gulf War and the War on Terror.
Finance Officer and Adjutant Tim Moynihan of the local American Legion approached Rye Mayor Josh Cohn over the last few weeks to have the topic placed on this week’s agenda. Moynihan first FOIL’ed Rye archives and city papers to understand how the current memorials came about.
Moynihan imagines this memorial may be captured in a plaque added to the memorial currently on the side of City Hall facing the Post Road. But all this will come out in the process that includes design, criteria for inclusion and other important details including making certain names are accurate and spelled correctly.
“It just seemed to be the right time,” Moynihan told MyRye.com on Monday when asked what prompted the move now. “Things are winding down in Afghanistan and Iraq… I certainly don’t think the chapter is closed but it seemed like the right time.”
Through his research Moynihan said the other memorials each took a couple of years to put in place. He estimates there are 30-50 veterans from the post-Vietnam period that would be included in a memorial. Moynihan served in in the U.S. Air Force during the Gulf War.
If you know of a local Rye veteran who served or is currently serving, you can share this information with Moynihan via email ([email protected]).
