Bronx elected officials welcomed 10 diplomatic officials from the Dominican Republic at the Nov. 2 grand opening of the nation’s first monument for Dominican veterans of World War II. The monument, funded in part by $400,000 in state and local funding secured by Councilman Fernando Cabrera, is located on the campus of Bronx Community College (BCC) in University Heights.

“More than 300 Dominican men and women risked and sacrificed their lives for the United States during World War II,” Cabrera, who is part Dominican, said. “These soldiers have been largely left out of U.S. history and I believed their rightful and public recognition was long past due.”

The monument includes the names of 351 veterans of Dominican descent. One veteran was a Tuskegee Airman. Others were awarded bronze and silver stars for their heroism. The veterans were identified by “Dominicans in New York,” a program started by BCC and the Dominican Studies Institute.

The grand opening began with a bilingual invocation and performances of the national anthems of the United States and the Dominican Republic. BCC President Thomas A. Isekenegbe hailed the monument as a well-deserved acknowledgement of the Bronx’s Dominican population.

“Bronx Community College is a Hispanic serving institute,” the president noted. “Given the role that BCC plays in the Bronx and our location in University Heights, home to many in New York City’s thriving Dominican community, we are very pleased to be the site of this monument.”

Descendants of the Dominican veterans were on-hand and spoke about the contributions of their immigrant relatives.

“Sometimes this country forgets the power and the contributions of the immigrant people,” said Angelica Infante, the granddaughter of veteran Juan Infante, who enlisted to fight in World War II when he was almost 40. “We as Dominicans are extremely proud of our accomplishments. We are a mighty community. We too are Americans.”

Other speakers included Congressman Adriano Espaillat, New York State Assembly Member Victor M. Pichardo, and a delegation of 10 Dominican and Dominican-American leaders, led by Carlos Castillo, Consul General of the Dominican Consulate in New York.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.