Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) and community partners gathered on Sunday, May 18, in advance of Memorial Day, May 26, for an early centennial celebration of the Bronx Victory Memorial, located on Mosholu Parkway in Bedford Park. The memorial was first unveiled 100 years ago on Nov. 11, 1925.

 

As part of the ceremony, uniformed troops from the New York Grey Cadets Infantry formed a procession and marched to the site, carrying flags. There was a wreath-laying ceremony, speeches, some patriotic songs were played and there was some live performance also. The event took place on the same day and at the same location as the starting point for the Bronx Week 2025 parade, hosted by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

 

The Memorial celebration was organized in conjunction with Gibson, the New York Grey Cadets Infantry, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Bedford Mosholu Community Association, Guerinos Against Graffitti* and Crusaders for Children’s Rights.

 

Present at the event were the Cadets, Karla Cabrera Carrera, district manager for Bronx CB7, Edgar Ramos, chair of the Bronx CB7 transportation committee, Anthony Rivieccio, founder of the Northwest Bronx Democrats and U.S. Navy Veteran, BMCA President and chair of Bronx CB7’s Parks committee, Barbara Stronczer, Sirio Guerino of Norwood Against Graffiti, Heather Guerino of Crusaders for Children’s Rights, Jerry Landron of the 52nd Precinct Community Council, and residents.

 

The chair of the veterans committee, Chad Royer, is currently recovering from cancer and was unable to attend but shared the following quote with Norwood News. “When I became chairperson of CB7’s Veterans Committee in September 2020, I wanted our community to have a better understanding of current veteran issues and the history of the veterans in our backyard.

He continued, “Our committee initiated the convening of the Bronx Victory Memorial with help from Friends of Mosholu Parkland in November of 2022, because it was needed. Sadly, I couldn’t attend this event on its 100th year anniversary due to my health, but I want all our veterans, veteran advocates and veteran families to know that I am there in spirit to honor our veterans and WWI heroes who have long passed on.”

 

Stronzer gave an overview of the history of the Memorial, explaining that between 1914 and 1918, the end of World War I, citizens got together to establish a memorial, which was finally ready to go seven years later in 1925. “It was opened on…it was called Armistice Day, Nov. 11. Today, we call it Veterans Day. Hundreds of people came out here to witness the unveiling [..] ceremony.”

 

She said over the years, they continued to hold ceremonies but by the 1970s, things had gotten rough around the area and the statue was vandalized with graffiti. “No one took care of it,” Stronzer said. “The [NYC] Parks’ department did not have a huge budget, and it really deteriorated.” She said in 1988, New York City, with the Municipal Arts Society, decided to choose several statues across the city and get a sponsor to renovate them. A French liquor company, Grand Marnier, were the sponsors of the Bronx Victory Memorial and the renovations were completed.

 

“In 1988, there was another grand opening ceremony, which I attended,” Stronzer said. “We had the borough president, we had the U.S. ambassador from France, we had Henry Stern, who was the parks commissioner. It was a lovely day.”

She said over the years, together with Bedford Mosholu Community Association and another party [inaudible] they decided to visit their then-councilman Oliver Kopell (C.D. 11) to ask for lighting around the statue, that was arranged and they remain on every night. Stonczer said they held another ceremony to mark the occasion.

 

As the Bronx Week 2025 parade had started at that point, the end of Stronzer’s remarks could not be heard, unfortunately. Cabrera Carrera then spoke, saying, “Thank you for being here. On behalf of our chairperson, Yajaira Arias and I, I want to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice, and for fighting for our rights and our freedom. We want to thank everyone who partook in making this event possible for us to recognize our veterans.” She said that included the Bronx CB7 board members who are volunteers and who worked to ensure that it would be a great event and to recognize the people in our community.

 

Col. David LeCourt of the New York Grey Cadets then spoke. He thanked everyone for organizing the event, and said, “Back in 2009, I was privileged to be the third vice chair [of CB7]. So, I’m home. We’re home. This is our home. We are here out of P.S. 8, and we are here out of M.S. 80, but we are here representing Community Board 7, which is our home, and we want to thank you for that.”

 

LeCourt added, “Today’s an honorable day where we give thanks to those that laid their lives down for us to do this kind of stuff on Sunday and sort of enjoy the day and thank God the rain has held up. There’s a lot of different people here that have taken me back, and have been part of my development, part of Community Board 7.”

 

He concluded, “So, I want to thank you for that and we are here as New York raised, my staff is here. I have new members of my staff as we grow, and to Ms. Carrera and her team, and to all of you, if you need anything for [inaudible] please let us know. Again, thank you CB7, thank you to these men and women that have laid their lives down throughout history.”

The borough president also spoke and said she wanted to recognize all of the community leaders who had sent her emails, making sure she could be there for the event. “Thank you to all of our colonels, and our veterans, and veterans families, military families. We thank you. We honor you. We recognize you for all of your great work on behalf of this nation. We are a free country because of your sacrifice and your service.”

 

She added, “It’s so important that we take a moment to acknowledge our veterans, past and present every day, not just on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day.” She said over her three years as borough president, she had been able to work closely with all 12 community boards in The Bronx, her veterans advisory council.

 

“We have been absolutely committed to lifting up the voices of our veterans,” Gibson said. “I am a niece of a Vietnam War veteran. My uncle served and was drafted right out of high school, and now he is a street vendor. He has continued to serve his community, and he reminds me all the time of what we need to continue to do to support our veterans and our military families, our Gold Star families, our Blue Star Families.”

 

She added, “He reminds me of the sacrifice and the service defending our country, our freedoms, our democracy, everything that we are afforded As Americans, we stand on your shoulders. We thank you for being here at the Bronx victory Memorial. This is a sacred space. It is a space of peace, of comfort, of healing, of restoration, of recognizing the strength, the courage, the bravery of our men and women in the armed services for all that you have done. We say thank you.”

 

The borough president mentioned that last year she worked with the Council Member Dinowitz to recognize the entire month of November as Veterans Appreciation Month. “It matters when you recognize the service all the time,” she said. “It matters when you lift up our military families. We’ve also done a lot with our BAC, our Veterans Action Committee, and our Veterans Advisory Council.”

Gibson spoke about other issues affecting veterans like PTSD, housing, and helping them reenter the workforce. She said on June 12, her office would be honoring female veterans with a special event at the James J Peters VA Hospital. “We do that every year because we lift up all of our veterans, but we also acknowledge the female veterans that are with us.”

 

She added, “We say thank you for all that you have done. As we lay this wreath, we do it in honor of those that paved the way, those that were on the battlefield and unfortunately lost their lives. Their legacies live on.”

 

Ramos later recited the following text, “Day is done, gone the sun from the hills, from the lake, from the skies. All is well, safely rest, God is high. Fading light dims the sight, and the star gems the sky, leaving bright from star, drawing high holds the night. Thanks and praise for our days neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky. As we go, this we know, God is high.”

 

Norwood News would like to thank Duval Guerino for his invaluable assistance with this story.