Throughout the northwest Bronx, various statues, plaques and memorials honor and remember those veterans who served the country, some of whom died in combat. From the Bronx Victory Memorial at the southern end of Mosholu Parkway, which honors local residents who died in World War I, to Memorial Grove in Van Cortlandt Park, which honors those who served up to, and through the Vietnam War, local neighborhoods recognize the service of men and women in the military.

 

Of course, Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for over 6,500 men and women who served in the military. Those interred there go all the way back to one captain who served in the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. As reported by Norwood News, on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, local elected officials including Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman Andrew Cohen, and State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey joined Quamid Francis, deputy chief of staff at NYC Department of Veterans, at Woodlawn and placed six wreaths near a memorial plaque embedded in the rock to honor those who died in service to the country.

 

Something these memorials do not always capture, however, is the ongoing work of veterans who continue to serve after their military careers are over. Dave Rosas, 50, served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, including two deployments to Iraq, two to Saudi Arabia, and a special assignment at the U.S. embassy in Oman, where he met his wife.

 

Transitioning back to civilian life was not a smooth process for Rosas, especially during the period immediately after his military service ended, when he found himself caring for his father who had been diagnosed with cancer. After his father died, Rosas reassessed how he would proceed with a new job search. “I was a little bit adrift, if you will,” Rosas said, adding that he had to find himself again.

Throughout the intervening years since he left active duty, Rosas said he has found that in serving his local community, he has entered a new stage of his life that he finds rewarding. “I am re-inventing myself,” he said. “I am helping out in the community, working in non-profits.”

 

Locally, Rosas can be seen at many local events organized by Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), helping out with gardening, maintenance, and other activities that keep the thoroughfare and surrounding areas clean and safe.

 

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Hunter serves as a committee member on Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), for just over five years. “The last three or four [have been] on the Veterans’ committee,” he said at a recent virtual community board meeting. Hunter is an army veteran, and is “50 percent disabled.” Of special concern to him is the growing problem of veterans who end up living in homeless shelters.

“Anyone who has done or seen combat over a couple of tours, if he or she is homeless, [he / she] shouldn’t be in that type of environment. It’s very dangerous,” he said. Hunter said he has made his concerns in this regard known to officials at the Veterans’ Administration, but so far he has not received any feedback.

 

The New York City greater metropolitan area is home to over a million service members, veterans and their families. As of the most recently available data from the American Community Survey and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVS) in 2016, NYC veterans are distributed throughout the city as follows:

• Queens: 27.9%, or 58,815
• Brooklyn: 25.7%, or 54,178
• Manhattan: 18.3%, or 38,577
• The Bronx: 17.9%, or 37,495
• Staten Island: 10.2%, or 21,502

DVS estimates there to be 189,808 veterans of “active duty” and 21,000 estimated National Guard and reservists.

The pre-pandemic employment rate for veterans in NYC was 88.1 percent, according to data from the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services. DVS said it’s committed to growing the number of employed veterans through partnership with the Department of Small Business Services (DBS) and public-private partnerships. Veterans are also entitled to priority street vendor licenses in certain parts of the city.

 

Pre-pandemic, DVS employed 25 veterans and veteran-family members, representing over 65 percent of the department’s staff. All members of the staff are “veterans of public service,” with deep experience in either the nonprofit or public sector.

In terms of education, over 12,000 students use their GI Bill in New York City colleges and universities each year. Education levels of NYC veterans are as follows:

 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher: 27.9%
• Some college / associate’s degree : 30.8%
• High school graduate: 30.6%
• Less than high school: 10.6%

In terms of where veterans served, the majority of New York City veterans served in the Vietnam War, followed by the Korean War. The breakdown is as follows:

 

• Vietnam War: 29%
• Korean War: 13%
• World War II: 11%
• Gulf War: 11%
• Post 9/11 Wars (ongoing): 11%

During the Sept. 29 Bronx CB7 Veterans committee meeting, residents who wished to help those who served the country, were informed that the committee continues to liaise with local veterans, and their families, to obtain their input in terms of understanding what their priorities and needs are. To date, these include housing, medical and mental healthcare, and job opportunities.

 

The next Veterans committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. via ZOOM conferencing. Participants can also join by phone.

 

Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez is hosting a Veterans’ Aid Drive over the next few weeks at her office, located at 2018 Williamsbridge Road. Her office is accepting donations every Tuesday and Thursday through Dec. 5. For further details, residents can call 718-409-0109.

 

*Síle Moloney provided additional reporting to this story.