Memorial Grove hosts Veterans’ Day ceremony

The Memorial Grove at Van Cortlandt Park is a tribute to past residents who died in World War Two and the Korean War.

A Veterans’ Day ceremony at the site on Sunday was especially moving for Beverly Wolfer-Nerenberg, whose brother died in the Iraq War in 2008.

“I always thought he’d be the one coming to watch and honor,” said Ms. Wolfer-Nerenberg, who runs a non-profit for veterans in remembrance of her brother called the Major Stuart Adam Wolfer Institute. “And unfortunately, Memorial Day is more the holiday that honors him.”

The ceremony started at noon with a gentle wind blowing auburn leaves from tall oak trees planted in the grove to commemorate 39 veterans killed in combat. A local Girl Scout troop sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” while members of Reserve Officer Training Corps from Fordham University, Manhattan College and SUNY Maritime College presented the U.S. and military flags.

Sunday marked the sixth Veterans’ Day ceremony at Memorial Grove. The events have grown in scope every year since local veterans Herb Barrett and Don Tannen made restoring the site their cause in 2007.

About 100 attendees heard speeches by elected officials and sang along to a vocal performance of taps by Daniel Pincus, a Jewish cantor-at-large in the community.

Health problems prevented Mr. Tannen from attending, but Mr. Barrett sounded a theme he has emphasized since he began advocating for restoration of the grove at Broadway and West 246th Street, which he discovered in a neglected state.

“During World War Two, we were a nation that built up so much pride,” Mr. Barrett said. “There was nothing we wouldn’t do to keep that flag flying. We ended up with a lack of respect, a lack of responsibility, loyalty [and] pride in our country.”

Elected officials at the ceremony praised veterans for their sacrifices and Mr. Barret for his restoration efforts. Each speech took a unique, often personal, approach to the national holiday.