Memorials are sacred areas. They provide a spot for remembrance, reflection and connection, whereas additionally educating future generations. An instance of that is the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a decade-long venture spearheaded by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 after which–Borough President Melinda Katz.
But, days after the anniversary of September eleventh, considerations are rising over the town’s proposed Put up-9/11 Fallen Service Member Memorial and the notion that the very households and veterans it goals to honor have been excluded from its creation.
In Might, Mayor Eric Adams, Veterans’ Companies (DVS) Commissioner James Hendon and different metropolis officers unveiled Flames of Honor, a $5 million memorial designed by sculptor Douwe Blumberg, deliberate for Whitestone, Queens. The design options 40-foot metallic arcs forming a pyramid, a suspended 13-foot folded flag, an LED-lit stained-glass flame, and 5 bronze buglers representing every navy department.
Within the press release, Mayor Adams known as it “the tribute they deserve,” whereas Commissioner Hendon described it as “a sacred house to grieve, replicate and bear in mind these we’ve misplaced since 9/11.” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards pledged $3 million for the memorial.
Importantly, the town acknowledged the design got here from an open name reviewed by a “numerous advisory panel from New York Metropolis’s veteran group.” Nevertheless, Freedom of Data Act (FOIA) e-mails counsel a distinct story.
Whereas the memorial was formally introduced throughout 2024’s Fleet Week, inner e-mails present DVS had already been handpicking advisory members a minimum of a month prior. The FOIA revealed the company chosen members with no written standards or course of, referring to them solely as “trusted group representatives.” Some members even requested including others, underscoring the ad-hoc nature of the choices.
E-mails confirmed that the advisory committee’s first assembly passed off in early Might, a minimum of three weeks earlier than the Fleet Week announcement. Nevertheless, DVS didn’t publish the committee members names till mid-September. The e-mails additionally present that the committee was solely scheduled to satisfy “three to 4” occasions by way of November, leaving little room for significant enter.
Much more troubling, not one of the conferences have been open to the general public, and e-mails present that fundraising for the memorial seemingly started earlier than the committee even convened, elevating questions on transparency and casting doubt on the committee’s position in guiding the memorial’s design, funding or path.
At a Council Veterans listening to in late 2024, Commissioner Hendon was requested when a city corridor can be held so the group might interact with the chosen idea and the artist. He responded it might occur “quickly.”
As a substitute, it wasn’t till April that the company revealed the finalized design at a Veterans Advisory Board (VAB) assembly in Queens, attended by roughly 20 individuals, together with three committee members who additionally served on the VAB, DVS workers, VA workers and the design staff. The memorial was solely mentioned at later VAB meetings in Staten Island and the Bronx. FOIA data affirm no citywide city halls or public boards have been carried out by DVS past the Queens assembly.
Equally regarding, there are not any minutes from any committee conferences, no design workshops, and no outreach to Gold Star households or the broader veteran group. Native leaders, together with Queens Neighborhood Board 7 and Councilmember Vickie Paladino have been briefed earlier than the Might 2025 unveiling, however wider group engagement by no means materialized.
These shortcomings echo DVS’ recent “C” grade from the Metropolis Council, which cited poor transparency and lack of group engagement. Sadly, the method behind the Flames of Honor memorial displays that very evaluation.
As New Yorkers replicate on the lives misplaced on September eleventh, the gaps on this memorial’s course of are obtrusive. Queens – residence to the town’s largest veteran inhabitants – has invested each symbolically and financially within the venture. But, the veterans and Gold Star households whose sacrifices give this memorial which means have been largely disregarded.
Memorials are greater than stone or bronze. They’re constructed on validation, remembrance and inclusion. When communities are excluded, belief is damaged and which means diminishes. If the town actually needs to honor those that served our nation after 9/11, it should begin by listening. Which means holding public boards and creating clear alternatives for enter and dialogue.
As Veterans Day approaches, an essential query stays: If the individuals most invested on this memorial are excluded, then who’s it actually for? Gold Star households and the broader veterans’ group deserve greater than symbolic recognition. They deserve an actual voice in shaping a memorial that’s meant to honor them and their family members.
Joe Bello served within the U.S. Navy/Naval Reserve and has been a veteran’s advocate and organizer in New York Metropolis for over 20 years. He’s the founding father of NYMetroVets and a former member of the Metropolis’s Veterans Advisory Board. On X: @NYMetroVets
