Monument unveiled in Eisenhower Park pays homage to vets of Afghanistan, Iraq wars

The unveiling of a monument to veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq at Eisenhower Park on Sunday was an emotional moment for Lecia Rodriques-Whyte, who served in the U.S. Army for 22 years.

“I love it,” said Rodriques-Whyte, 65, of Elmont, a retired sergeant first class and now a mental health worker specializing in working with veterans, as she stood in front of the structure. She said she hopes viewing it will remind people of those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well as those veterans still struggling today.

“People see homeless veterans on the streets and they shouldn’t judge them,” said Rodriques-Whyte, who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 and is commander of American Legion Post 1033 in Elmont. “There’s a lot of hidden wars. Soldiers have suffered.”

The monument consists of four large engraved granite slabs surrounding a bronze battlefield cross. Maps of Iraq and Iran are etched into two of the granite pieces with the locations of some key battles marked. The other two feature soldiers and inspirational quotes.

“The values of a country can be measured in the character and compassion of the men and women who defend those values,” reads one above the image of a soldier reaching down to two children.

A crowd of about 400, which included Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, state Sen. Steve Rhoads of Bellmore and other elected officials and representatives from a variety of veterans groups, gathered to celebrate the latest addition to the park’s extensive section for war memorials.

Kevin Colon, a Marine Corps veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2003, said it was important to include the battlefield cross — a set of boots, rifle and helmet — as part of the monument.

“This is special to us,” said Colon, 42, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Levittown-Island Trees Post 9592. “That is what we would use to recognize those who we lost in combat … We felt it was important to recognize Iraq and Afghanistan and ensure that our Gulf Wars veterans finally received the recognition they deserve.”

Veterans groups raised more than $100,000 for the memorial, he said. Nassau County paid for and handled the installation.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Steve Seidenstein, 41, of Bellmore, who served in multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and later as a military police officer.

Having the new monument ready for Memorial Day was key, he said.

“It’s very important we take the time to take a pause regularly in our lives to honor the ultimate sacrifice and to thank everybody for their service,” Seidenstein said, pointing out that gratitude should also apply to families of veterans.

Rodriques-Whyte and others at the ceremony said they hope more veterans get involved with service organizations to find support and important connections to their communities.

“A lot of veterans think these [veterans service organizations] are just a bunch of people sitting around drinking,” she said. “They don’t realize what we do.”

Even though the monument makes her think of veterans who died, she said it is also an honor to those who survived.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Rodriques-White said. “We deserve it.”

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.