by Olivia Young

Greater Riverdale is home to nearly 2,300 veterans, mostly of the Vietnam War. 

In recognition of Veterans Appreciation Month, Bronx Community Board 8 and the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance held a commemoration ceremony on Nov. 6 to honor those who served. 

Dozens of veterans, CB8 members and city officials gathered under the canopy of trees at Memorial Grove in Van Cortlandt Park, with small American flags in hand. Bundled up against the cool autumn air, they sat as patches of light filtered through red and orange leaves, illuminating speakers and audience members alike.

The ceremony began with the presentation of colors, where members of the Bronx Veterans American Legion Post 235 displayed the American flag and those of other military branches. Attendees stood with their hands over their hearts or to their heads in a salute, while the sound of the national anthem filled the park. 

One of the first to speak was Viviana DeCohen, commissioner of the state Department of Veteran’s Services and a Marine Corps veteran.

When she was younger, DeCohen helped with cleanups in Van Cortlandt Park. As a marine, she did physical training nearby on Fordham Road. 

“You have known what it is to have walked the floor and travailed so that others could sleep in peace,” DeCohen said to fellow veterans. “You forge on in victory because you know what it is to fight … to get up each and every day with your battle scars … to continue service in this country and in this community.” 

Other appointed and elected officials in attendance included NYC Department of Veterans Commissioner James Henderson, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz and Council Member Eric Dinowitz. 

Among the veterans honored was Charlie McDougall, who helped lead the presentation of colors. He said his four years in the Navy helped set him on the right path as a teenager and taught him lessons he still carries today. 

“Respect — respect for myself, respect for other people,” McDougall said. “I don’t look down on anybody. I try to find the best I can in anybody, and work from that point on.” 

Bronx native Salvatore Caruso, also a part of the color guard, enlisted in the Marine Corps at 18. After serving for more than a year in the Vietnam War, returning home to the United States was difficult. Caruso recalled that he and other soldiers were often spat on or insulted. 

“The country was divided at the time,” he said. “There was no way of getting any help because they weren’t prepared for us … For 35 or 40 years, we were left unknown until things changed and they started recognizing us.” 

Eventually, as veteran services became more widely accessible, Caruso found things that helped with healing. 

He highlighted the American Legion, a nationwide organization that advocates for veterans and connects them with events like the commemoration, allowing them to give back to fellow service members. Caruso has been a member for 12 years.

The James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kingsbridge has also been helpful, as it provides both physical and mental health care. 

“One of the biggest honors I ever had was putting that uniform on and being called a Marine,” Caruso said. “I live with that every day, and I practice that every day — always faithful to the country, to the people here and to veterans. That’s the way I am, that’s the way I live.”

Keywords

Greater Riverdale veterans,

Van Cortlandt Park,

Bronx Community Board 8,

Veterans Appreciation Month,

Vietnam War veterans,

Bronx events,

veteran commemoration