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 mission spearheaded by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 after which–Borough President Melinda Katz.
But, days after the anniversary of September eleventh, issues are rising over town’s proposed Publish-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 Could, 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 steel 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 launch, Mayor Adams known as it “the tribute they deserve,” whereas Commissioner Hendon described it as “a sacred space to grieve, reflect and remember those we’ve lost since 9/11.” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards pledged $3 million for the memorial.
Importantly, town said the design got here from an open name reviewed by a “diverse advisory panel from New York City’s veteran community.” Nevertheless, Freedom of Info Act (FOIA) e-mails counsel a special story.
Whereas the memorial was formally introduced throughout 2024’s Fleet Week, inner e-mails present DVS had already been handpicking advisory members no less than a month prior. The FOIA revealed the company chosen members with no written standards or course of, referring to them solely as “trusted community 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 Could, no less than 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 fulfill “three to four” instances by November, leaving little room for significant enter.
Much more troubling, not one of the conferences had 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 function 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 neighborhood may have interaction with the chosen idea and the artist. He responded it will occur “soon.”
As an alternative, 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 employees, VA staff and the design staff. The memorial was solely talked about at later VAB conferences in Staten Island and the Bronx. FOIA information verify no citywide city halls or public boards had been carried out by DVS past the Queens assembly.
Equally regarding, there aren’t any minutes from any committee conferences, no design workshops, and no outreach to Gold Star households or the broader veteran neighborhood. Native leaders, together with Queens Group Board 7 and Councilmember Vickie Paladino had been briefed earlier than the Could 2025 unveiling, however wider neighborhood engagement by no means materialized.
These shortcomings echo DVS’ current “C” grade from the Metropolis Council, which cited poor transparency and lack of neighborhood 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 obvious. Queens – dwelling to town’s largest veteran inhabitants – has invested each symbolically and financially within the mission. But, the veterans and Gold Star households whose sacrifices give this memorial that means have been largely not noted.
Memorials are greater than stone or bronze. They’re constructed on validation, remembrance and inclusion. When communities are excluded, belief is damaged and that means diminishes. If town really 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 necessary 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’ neighborhood deserve greater than symbolic recognition. They deserve an actual voice in shaping a memorial that’s meant to honor them and their family members.
