To help in any way possible those veterans from previous, past and future wars and conflicts. We, as Hibernians and Americans, must support and help our troops at home and abroad.
Calling all Veterans
In order to more effectively communicate and share information that would be of interest to veterans, we would like to establish a database of e-mail addresses of our Hibernian Brothers who served in our U.S. military services. We would like to include your name and e-mail address in the new database. If you are interested and would like to participate, please forward that information to:
J.J. Kelly at irishknight1@verizon.net
Report by J.J. Kelly
Major kudos are in order for Bill Halpin, Veterans Affairs Chairman for the Virginia State Board. Bill has been working for several years with folks both here in the US and in Ireland to establish an Irish Viet Nam Veterans Memorial. Several different proposals have been considered, evaluated and dropped. One such proposal is to renovate the 18th century Edenville House Cavalry Barracks in Roscommon. At a cost of several million Euros, this project seems to have foundered a bit.
Now comes grand news from Ennis, County Clare. The elected members of the Ennis Town Council have voted unanimously to support a proposal for a memorial to Irish men and women who served and died in Allied service in South East Asia from 1959 through 1975. It is planned to erect the memorial in the vicinity of Clonroadmore Park on November 11, 2013, as part of International Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day in America).
The driving force behind the project is an ex-veteran and frequent visitor to County Clare, Mr. Matthew Carroll. In his recent visit with Mr. Carroll, Bill Halpin says that Carroll and his associates are quick to point out that the memorial is only 15 miles from Shannon Airport. Nicely timed to possibly be featured as part of The Gathering Ireland 2013, the Memorial could serve as quite a tourist attraction for the many veterans in America.
Underway is the formation of a 501 (C) (3) organization called “The Irish Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Project.” Certainly they will be looking for sponsorships, donations, and help from many organizations to include the AOH, Embassy of Ireland, etc. As the project matures, I suggest we, the AOH at all levels, give consideration to this excellent project.
The Ennis Town Council referred to the sensitivity of any war memorial in Ireland, but further stated they did not wish to turn their backs on those Irish men and women who lost their lives and those who served and may be in need of advocacy and support. Their focus, then, is creating a space for reflection for families and for those who served in allied military service in South East Asia. Again, thanks, Bill for your efforts in this project. And stay tuned for further developments.
Finally, please remember to thank a vet or an active duty Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman or Coast Guardsman. They are a constant reminder that our cherished freedom is not free.