With a vast meadow in the heart of Pembroke stretching before him, Sen. Charles Schumer envisioned its new purpose. "We stand in front of hallowed ground," he said.
The site has been selected for a new Western New York Veterans Cemetery. This was Schumer's first visit to the location since it was chosen.
“With so many thousands of local veterans,” Schumer continued, “it was an insult to Western New York not to have a National Veterans Cemetery close for loved ones to pay their respects.”
The 132-acre parcel located at Route 77 and Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, is about 100 miles closer to Western New Yorkers than its sister in Bath, Steuben County.
At a gathering Monday, Schumer, alongside former military members and their families, proposed the new site to be named after local war hero William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan.
“ ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan is a true Western New York Hero,” Schumer said. “I cannot think of any better way to commorate his life and honor our region’s veterans than by naming the Western New York Veterans Cemetery the ‘General William Donovan Western New York Veterans’ Cemetery.' ”
However, not all veterans received the proposed name with enthusiasm.
“Placing a name on a building is nice,” Joy Joyce, Oakfield-Alabama American Legion Post 626 vice commander, said. “But what makes this general any more important than other veterans?”
“It doesn't matter who it's named for, it’s what it stands for,” said Vietnam Veterans of America New York State Council Western District Director Ted Wilkinson. “General Donovan is a respected man and deserves to be recognized. He should be an inspiration for people to come here.”
“I look at it as, by giving (the cemetery) an individual name, it gives it a tourist-attraction appeal,” said veterans advocate Patrick Welch. “By using a name, it will give people an opportunity to do the research; it's a way to honor an individual. From a historical standpoint, Donovan’s career (and its impact) spans the 1800s to the 21st Century.”
Donovan was born to immigrant parents in Buffalo, and attended St. Joseph Collegiate Institute and Niagara University. He remains the only American to earn all four of the highest military awards in the United States: The Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal. Furthermore, he earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart, as well as honors from several other nations for his service during both World War I and II.
Additionally, Donovan founded the Office of Strategic Services, currently known as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
“We are alive today because of Bill Donovan,” Schumer said. “People don’t realize it, but praise God there hasn’t been another terrorist incident that succeeded like the one on 9/11. That’s because our CIA, as well as our NSA, our Navy SEALs, and all of our armed forces have done a great job.
“(The terrorists) have tried,” he continued. “Believe me, I read the intelligence documents. I know. But because these people (CIA) are so good and unknown ... people don’t know one tenth of what they know, and it all started with Bill Donovan.”
In addition to the 132 acres currently procured, Robert and Frances Haegar have offered their 60-acre plot of land adjacent to the cemetery -- to enlarge the site to the 200 acres originally wanted. Robert Haegar is a 30-year veteran with the Navy Reserves.
“The land was my grandfathers farm,” Frances Haegar said. “It needs to have a purpose. We can’t do anything with it and it hurts me to see it go wild. It feels great for the land to be used for a veterans' cemetery.
“My father helped with this land. I spent my childhood here,” she continued. “It is a pretty site and it needs something to put it back to a nice site.”
The 60 acres will not only increase the size of the cemetery, but will also allow for better access.
“Hopefully we will live long enough to see this completed,” she said.
According to Schumer, the hope is that groundbreaking will take place at some point next year and 2016 for the first veteran to be interned.
“There is an old saying,” Wilkinson said. “Never judge a vet by the medals on his chest.”
ol chucky will never pass up
ol chucky will never pass up a photo-op....... I wonder what business is it of his what this cemetery is called or who it is named after. how about something simple like Pembroke National Cemetery? it is in Pembroke, N.Y. or it could be named after mr. photoman himself.
General William Donovan
General William Donovan Western New York Veteran's Cemetery.......
Politics never cease to amaze me.....
With all due respect - I
With all due respect - I don't think a military cemetary should be named after any one person - Pembroke Veterans Cemetery or Genesee County Cemetery or many other options...
Although the majority of
Although the majority of veteran’s cemeteries are named for their locale or region, many are indirectly identified with military officers or former president’s, being named after forts and barracks dedicated to such individuals. Some cemeteries are denoted as dedicated to confederate or union veterans. A few are specifically named in memory of individuals such as Colonel Raymond F. Gates Memorial Cemetery, Connecticut; Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Illinois; Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky; Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, New Jersey; Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, New York; M.J. Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery, South Carolina; Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Virginia and Donel Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery, West Virginia. One cemetery is dedicated to Native American veterans; Sicangu Akicita Owicahe in South Dakota is named for a Lakota tribe.
As for Schumer taking a photo-op… The New York VFW site (www.vfwny.com) credits Schumer as having “…Led the Charge to Bring Much - Needed Vets’ Cemetery to Western New York.” If that’s the case why shouldn’t he pose for a picture?
The notion to name the cemetery after William McDonald, war-hero and former head of the OSS under FDR is not exclusive to Schumer. The suggestion is endorsed and supported by WNY veteran groups. One might also consider that another regional name has been suggested to attach to the cemetery. Some federal lawmakers are leaning toward Robert H. Jackson, former U.S. Supreme Court justice from Frewsberg, NY.
maybe the people who live
maybe the people who live here and drive past this cemetery should have a say, not some politician in Washington.
Buffalo Chips! Why should
Buffalo Chips!
Why should Schumer name it??? He's NOT a veteran.
A Veteran/Veterans should name this cemetery!
How dare Senator Schumer lead
How dare Senator Schumer lead the charge to bring this cemetery to Western New York? He isn't a veteran. What right did he have champion this cause?
How dare Senator Schumer "propose" dedicating this hallowed ground to a Western New York hero? The definitive word is "propose". The last time I looked, that didn't mean set in stone. If the majority of veteran groups oppose the name then they will let their voices be heard.
The nitpicking over a name underscores the importance of offering a resting place for Western N Y veterans. The partisan nitpicking underscores the fact that no other senator, other than one from New York State, would have an interest in locating a national cemetery in Western New York.
There are many good citizens, in all walks of life, who did not serve. That does not make them less patriotic; less supportive of
those who do; or less appreciative of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
I give Schumer credit for
I give Schumer credit for finally getting this cemetery approved. And the idea of naming it after someone from WNY, who also won the Medal of Honor, is a great idea.
Schumer absolutely deserves
Schumer absolutely deserves credit for this cause. The naming should be fairly and comprehensively debated though. You only do it once and there is plenty of time.
Brian, why not the surviving
Brian, why not the surviving parents and spouses of our veterans? Why not the residents of WESTERN NEW YORK? Why shouldn't any citizen be permitted to propose a name and why shouldn't all proposals be given equal weight? Most of us, whether a veteran or not, have ties to those in the service.