VFW raises funds for memorial park

A fish-and-chips fundraiser was held at the Red Hook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7765 on March 30 to raise money for their ongoing renovation and expansion of the Red Hook Veterans Memorial Park.

Memorial Park features a large, centrally located monument commemorating veterans who lost their lives serving overseas. Since the completion of the main monument, the VFW post has been adding smaller monuments with bronze plaques that include the names of all Red Hook war veterans. But the list is only complete through World War II.

Post Commander Bill Moore hopes that events like the fish fry help raise enough money to complete the Korea and Vietnam plaques for the park.

“It’s in dedication to all those who have served their country,” Moore said.

Each of the smaller monuments costs approximately $7,000 and the post still needs about $1,800, Moore said. He added that one of the challenges in finding funds for the memorials is the diverse array of community projects the Post wants to contribute towards. For example, the $900 profit from the Post’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner went to fund summer program scholarships and support Red Hook’s Little League.

“The memorial is not commemorating war, it’s commemorating those veterans from Red Hook who are no longer with us,” said Men’s Auxiliary Treasurer Steven Hughes. He estimated that the VFW Post would raise around $1,000 at the fish fry, which also featured a 50/50 and a raffle for a flat-screen TV.

Don Triebel, president of the Men’s Auxiliary, said that anyone wishing to contribute to the memorial can purchase a memorial brick for the site by contacting the VFW Post at 845-758-6212 or online at www.vfw7765.org.

Red Hook’s Memorial Park is owned by the town. But the VFW post is responsible for the monuments.

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