Curran Aims To Create Committee To Build Afghan/Iraq War Monument

EAST MEADOW, NY — On Thursday, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced her picks for a committee to design a memorial to Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

The county is hoping to break ground on the monument to the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Oct. 7, which is the 20th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. The memorial would be built at Eisenhower Park's Veterans Memorial Plaza, and would honor the Nassau County residents who fought in the two conflicts.

"Right now, more than ever, we must ensure that present and future generations continue to appreciate the sacrifice that veterans made for our nation," Curran said.

Curran filed a resolution with the county Legislature today to enter an agreement with local VFWs and the VFW Association to work together in the memorial's creation. Part of the resolution calls for creating a 12-person panel to plan and oversee the construction of the monument.

Under the resolution, Curran would appoint five members, the Nassau Council of VFWs would appoint five members, and the majority and minority caucuses of the Legislature would each appoint one member.

Curran's appointees are: Tom Tack, of Northop Grumman; Virginia Cervasio, founder of Heroes Among Us; Sergeant Phoebe Ervin, US Army veteran and New Hyde Park resident; Steve Latus, president of United Veterans Organization and vice president of the Long Island Air Force Association; and Morris Miller, a member of the UVO monument committee.

The plan already has bipartisan support.

"As a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S Army, I am glad to see plans to build a memorial honoring the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at Eisenhower Park," said Legislator Bill Gaylor, a Republican from Lynbrook, in a statement. "It is important that the service and sacrifice of our nation's heroes never be forgotten. In Nassau County, we will always support our veterans, and honor the memory of those who have passed away."

The partnership is seeking to raise $100,000 for the construction of the monument, with the goal of having the money by October.