Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a memorial at Elmhurst Park in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City in honor of the veterans of the Vietnam War of 1955–1975. It was designed by Landscape Architects Denise Mattes and Frank Varro, and fabricated by Sprung Monuments, Corinthian Cast Stone Inc., and Barre Granite Association Inc. Located at the northeastern corner of Elmhurst Park, it was announced in June 2017. Although planning and fundraising started in the mid-2000s, construction began on November 29, 2018, with $2.3 million in funding from the Queens Borough Council. The memorial was dedicated on December 20, 2019. Design The Memorial is a slightly sunken elliptical space framed by two Barre Gray Granite walls. One wall contains the names of the 371 Queens residents who died in the Vietnam War, with their ages at their death. Under the names is a timeline of the war, describing some of the major events from May 7, 1954 to April 30, 1975. There is then a short statement honoring those veterans who have lost their lives after the war due to things ranging from PTSD to Agent Orange exposure side effects. It also honors Pat Toro, a veteran who advocated for the