Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-Utica/Rome) announced that she visited several veteran monuments throughout the 119th Assembly District and created a virtual tour for residents to view or visit in their personal vehicles to commemorate Memorial Day while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

“Memorial Day is a time for us to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Buttenschon. “Though COVID-19 has prevented most of the usual celebration activities, that shouldn’t stop us from paying our respects to our courageous service members. In lieu of cookouts and parties, I encourage you to express your gratitude for our heroes by watching the virtual tour or visiting one of the many veteran monuments in the Mohawk Valley in your personal vehicle.

Buttenschon visited veteran memorials/monuments this week, some of which include:

Utica

• Vietnam Memorial on Memorial Parkway/Holland Avenue;
• POW/MIA Memorial on Memorial Parkway, across from the Val Bialas Sports Center;
• Central New York War Memorial on Memorial Parkway/Kemble Street;
• Mary S. Hendricks Police and Firefighters Memorial Park on Memorial Parkway/Kemble Street;
• Soldiers & Sailors Monument at Oneida Square;
• Purple Heart Memorial Park at the juncture of Whitesboro and Erie streets in Utica;
• Spanish-American War Memorial and All American Wars Memorial on Memorial Parkway;
• George A. Wood All American War Memorial and the Gold Star Mothers monument, located at Utica Post Office on 100 Pitcher Street.

Rome

• Veterans Memorial Park on North James Street;
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Griffiss Business Park.

Whitesboro

• WWII Monument in the Village Green on Main Street.

Yorkville

• Memorial Park on West Whitesboro Street.

Frankfort

• Memorial Park on 111 West Main Street.

New York Mills

• Veteran’s Park on Main Street.

Floyd

• Steven Moulton Memorial on Old Floyd Road.

For those who cannot visit the monuments, the Assemblywoman has put together a virtual tour, which constituents can view on Facebook page, Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, or via her website https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Marianne-Buttenschon

Additionally, Assemblywoman Buttenschon is encouraging her constituents to send a letter or card thanking a local veteran for their service to the Central New York Veteran’s Outreach Center, 726 Washington St., Utica, NY 13502.

“While we can never truly repay those heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, we can express our gratitude for the courageous men and women who continue to put their lives on the line for our freedoms,” said Buttenschon. “I urge you to write a letter to one of our region’s many veterans expressing your gratitude for their tireless dedication to our country.”