NEW SITE: Annual Veterans Day services moved to Hyde Park.

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November 11, 2008

Anonymous The Niagara Gazette Tue Nov 11, 2008, 08:07 PM EST

BY RICK AHRENS — ngedit@gnnewspaper.com

Although the site of the proposed Veterans Memorial in Hyde Park is currently without a statue, the spirit of remembrance was present during a Veterans Day ceremony held at the site by local veterans groups.

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Veterans and civilians alike composed the significant crowd that weathered the chilly November air to celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of veterans, both local and nationwide. The groups that hosted the event also invited members of the Niagara Falls police and fire departments, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department.

Master Gunnery Sgt. David Fabrizio was the master of ceremonies at the Hyde Park memorial area. The site, which encompasses a 5.5 acre plot along Pine Avenue, is expected to be completed within a year and a half.

Fabrizio is also the chairman of the Niagara Falls Veterans Memorial Commission.

“Our veterans deserve to be memorialized in a place of honor and dignity,” he said. “I assure you that when you come to this completed site, it will be a place of reverence.”

Donna Owens, Niagara Falls city administrator, represented the mayor’s office at the event and offered sentiments of thanks on behalf of the city.

“There’s always a time to say thanks to the people who have served our country,” Owens said. “Veterans have always been an important part of America’s fabric.”

Owens also addressed the upcoming development of the Hyde Park memorial and hoped that it would evoke similar feelings as another historic American landmark.

“When you see the image of Arlington National Cemetery, you get an idea of the sacrifices our nation’s veterans made,” she said. “With the memorial we will be erecting on this site, we will ensure that the people of Niagara Falls will never forget those sacrifices.”

Veterans also spoke about their special bond as fighting men and women and, for the first time, enjoyed the ability to perform a military-style salute during the national anthem while out of uniform. A law authorizing the out-of-uniform salute for veterans was passed in October.

In his closing remarks, Fabrizio noted that it is important to ensure that Veterans Day remains a significant date on the calendar.

“A veteran gives his country a blank check, while knowing that he or she my not make it back home,” he said. “That’s the sort of dignity our veterans deserve.”

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