John Bettner. Douglas Campbell. Francis Christ. All the way to Patrick Wogan. There were 32 names in all that adorned a bronze plaque affixed to the wall, at the corner of St. Thomas the Apostle. These 32 young men had a couple of things in common. First, they all gave their lives in defense of their country in World War 2. And secondly, they were all from Woodhaven.
There were actually 2 plaques -- one on either side of the statue shown below. And each year, on Memorial Day, the residents of Woodhaven would gather at that corner, and say a prayer for the fallen. And in the crowd each year, snapping photos, was longtime Woodhaven resident and World War 2 veteran Joe Virgona.
A few years ago, someone climbed the fence, pried one of the plaques off the wall, and carried it off. The plaque was heavy, so this was no teenage prank. It was a hurtful act of thievery. Joe Virgona, along with American Legion Post 118 in Woodhaven, wanted to ensure that these young men would be remembered, and began a quest to acquire a replica. The story isn't that cut and dried, though. For even though it had been a neighborhood staple for decades, no one had an exact record of all the names that were on it. Each year, when Joe was taking his pictures, there were usually flowers (or a wreath) in front of the plaque, and it took a number of months of digging through all of his photos to finally piece together all of the names. And then, in looking for a company to create a replica, Joe Virgona Googled "Bronze Plaques" -- and one of the first entries listed is a company called The International Bronze Plaque Company - family owned and operated since 1936. And it turned out to be the very same company that created the original. And so, this week, a piece of Woodhaven's history was returned to us -- and more importantly, we ensured that the sacrifice of those 32 young men would continued to be remembered. Their memory was blessed, along with the new plaque, at a mass in St. Thomas, presided over by Rev. Frank Tumino. The plaque will not be returned to the same spot, however. Instead, it will be installed inside the church -- in the lobby. (By the way, the 2nd plaque -- which was previously moved inside -- doesn't contain a list of individual names -- it offers a prayer of remembrance for all parishioners who served, were wounded, or died in World War 2). This plaque will be installed next to the painting on the wall, of Jesus holding a soldier. Check out this lovely painting, this photograph of which was taken by Woodhaven resident and photographer Mario Brienza (check out his website): Did you notice St. Thomas the Apostle in the painting? That's been up on that wall for years -- I wonder how many people have passed by it over the years and never really took a close look at it. Here is our video coverage of the ceremony at St. Thomas blessing the plaque:
Here is Joe Virgona, Rev. Tumino and Post Commander John Lawless of the American Legion Post posing with the plaque after the mass. After the mass, there was a remembrance at the Legion Post -- remembering all of those who had fallen in wars over the years. After the memorial, they gathered downstairs for a small gathering -- a party with food and drinks. Everyone was kind and very welcoming to us. It was an emotional day -- Veteran's Day -- a bittersweet day where they are sad for those who cannot be there, but glad they could all be together once more. Here are some more pictures we took that day: And we'll finish up with a clip from Project Woodhaven's live talk show (Friday's at 10). This past Friday, Joe Virgona was our very special guest -- here he is, talking about the restoration of the piece of Woodhaven's history:
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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