Photos by Joy Malone
Rye marked this year’s Veterans Day by putting new names on the city’s memorials for World War II, Korea and Vietnam, while adding new memorial plaques remembering veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq, the war on terrorism, and the Cold War.
The ceremony was conducted by Rye American Legion Post 128 at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 11 in front of Rye City Hall.
The updating of the City Hall plaques is the result of a two-year effort to collect names and finalize a design. In all, 126 names are being added.
American Legion Post 128 Commander Fred de Barros led the ceremony. The keynote speaker was Capt. Leo Matthews, whose name is on the new Afghanistan-Iraq plaque. A 2011 graduate of Rye High School, he served in the 75th Ranger Battalion from 2018-2022 and completed three deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He currently serves as an instructor of American politics at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.
Rye City Mayor Josh Cohn, County Executive George Latimer, and Assembly Member Steve Otis delivered remarks. Robin Latimer was the vocalist.
