State’s Vietnam Memorial Gives Voice to those who Died
Saturday, June 02, 2012
“I know they’ll hear me. I’m talking to them,” Madaio said of the more than 1,530 Vietnam veterans whose names are forever etched in stone on the monuments that stand tall and unwaveringly in Worcester’s Green Hill Park. “I just wish more people would come.”
Ceremony Honors Memorial
Madaio won’t be alone for Saturday’s ceremony, of course, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the unveiling of the state memorial that honors the men and women who died in Vietnam. There will be other veterans, along with local and state officials, as the names of all those on the monuments are read, starting at 11 a.m. The actual ceremony will start at 1 p.m.
It is all part of a three-day slate of events that started Friday with a golf tournament at the Green Hill Golf Course. On Saturday night, City Manager Michael O’Brien will preside over an anniversary dinner at Union Station. On Sunday, the Rolling Thunder Massachusetts Chapter 1 roars into the city for the Ride for Freedom.
More Should Care
The festivities all mean something to Madaio, but it would mean much more if people paid tribute to the veterans on more than just one day – and if they visited the memorial more than just one time.
“A lot of people don’t even know it’s the state memorial,” Madaio said of the $1-million-plus memorial that also features a Place of Flags and a War Dogs monument. “Some veterans don’t even know it’s up there.”
Madaio, a Purple Heart recipient, still carries the emotional scars of a war that was widely unpopular.
“I want to say no, but I think there is,” he said when asked if he felt Vietnam veterans were being slighted. “When we came back, there was no parade, no nothing. Then you had a parade a while back, I don’t remember exactly when, but I thought it was too little, too late.”
Even on Memorial Day, Madaio saw little support from the public.
“There were more than a few people there, but they were mostly vets,” he said. “The people just don’t come out, anymore. I know they’re busy, but I don’t know. They just don’t get it for some reason. It kind of breaks my heart.”
Sacrifices Were Made
That makes events like Saturday’s rededication even more personal to Madaio, who sees it as an opportunity to give voice to a group of men and women who gave their all –and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“For me, it means all the people up there who don’t have a voice to speak,” he said of the ceremony. “I think that’s why I made it out of (Vietnam), so I could come now and speak for them. I’m just their voice. I’ve got a lot of friends up there.”
Madaio said the memorial means many things to him, saying “It means respect the people that gave their lives so you can do what you want to do. It’s freedom. That’s what it is.”
An Honor to Serve
It is also something about which others feel pride, such as Karen Greenwood, Worcester Veterans’ Service Agent and a Vietnam-era Navy veteran.
“It’s been an honor to serve on the Board of Directors 10 years ago” when the memorial first went up, said Greenwood. “To still be part of it 10 years later is an honor.”
And while it is the Vietnam Memorial, Greenwood said, it has touched many others.
“I’ve heard stories of more recent veterans going up there who just find it is a peaceful place,” said Greenwood. “Having the memorial in the city, we’ve been blessed. The veterans appreciate it.”
Madaio just wishes others appreciated the memorial as much as he.
“We’ve got a motto,” said Madaio. “’I was there and I do care.’”
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