Veterans of the Stephentown Area LLC and Stephentown Veterans Park
The Veterans of the Stephentown Area LLC was founded by a local group of veterans in Stephentown, NY. Its purpose was to promote the social welfare of its veteran members and their families and to enhance community understanding of the contributions and sacrifice of individuals who have served in the military.
Membership
- All veterans are welcome. No membership fees or dues. DD 214 FORM REQUIRED
Meetings
- Brief meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at 6 PM at the Stephentown Fire Hall and at the Veterans Park during warm weather.
Current Officers
- President – John Defreest
- Vice President – Diana Clark
- Secretary – Doug Mayan
- Treasurer – Phyllis Defreest
- Chaplain – Father John Close
Mailing Address
- PO Box 612, Stephentown, NY 12168
Call to Action and News
- The veterans of the Stephentown area are interested in learning more about area residents who have served in the military. The organization has a fairly thorough list of the names of area residents who served during the Korean War and Vietnam Era. We have enshrined their names on our veterans’ Park monuments and many belong to our veterans’ organization. We would like to do the same for additional veterans from the Stephentown area who have served in the military over the last forty years. Veterans who would like to be remembered on the monument wall or join the Stephentown area organization can do so by calling Phyllis Defreest at 518-733-6504. A copy of your DD form 214 will be needed.
News and Upcoming Events
Wreaths Across America at the Stephentown Veterans Memorial Park
Thursday, September 21, 11:00am to 7:00pm
Wreath Laying and Welcome Home Ceremony for Vietnam Era Veterans 11 AM
Sponsored by Vets of Stephentown & New Lebanon & Taconic Valley American Legions
The Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is a rolling exhibition that brings the local community, veterans, active-duty military and their families together through interactive exhibits, short films, and shared stories. The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes as well as to serve as an official ‘welcome home’ station for our nation’s Vietnam Veterans. All veterans, active-duty military, their families, and the local community members are invited and encouraged to visit, take a tour and speak with WAA representatives and volunteers. They can also share more about the national nonprofit, and the work its volunteers do to support our heroes and their communities year-round.
Public tours for the MEE are free and open to the public! Members of the media, dignitaries, veterans and other interested groups are urged to come, ask questions, share stories and experience this one-of-a-kind exhibit.
Dedication of Vietnam Veteran Sculpture: Stand for the Flag by Leo Leuning and Sherri Treeby of Bad River Artworks
Thursday, September 21 at 7:00
Join us at the library for a special unveiling and dedication of Stand for the Flag, a sculpture created by Bad River Artworks and donated to the Veterans of Stephentown. SML will have the sculpture on permanent display and welcome the community to celebrate it’s unveiling with a small reception. Refreshments will be served.
Past Events
Lecture Open to the Public
Subject – From the Gates of Hell to Home – Evacuation of the Wounded
Where – Stephentown Firehall, 35 Grangehall Rd, Stephentown, NY
When – Wed. August 2, 2023
Time – 6:30 P.M.
Speaker – Lt Col Diana Clark ( Ret )
Background on Lt. Col. Diana Clark ( Ret )
Diana was commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserve in1988 as an ICU Field Nurse providing medical support for the Cadets and Military staff at West Point. After completing eight years in the Army Reserve Diana transferred to the Air Force Reserve as a Flight Nurse/Medical Crew Director.
In 2004 she was deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Qatar. This Wing is the largest and most diverse expeditionary wing in the USAF and provided mission, operational and medical support for Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. Diana was part of an intense effort to provide medical support for US and coalition forces in the Region.
She completed 16 combat air evacuation missions during the period of intense fighting at Fallujah and Mosul and earned the prestigious Air Medal which is awarded for single acts of heroism and/or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
She later served in the Washington DC area coordinating air evacuation support.
Diana retired from the USAF with the rank of Lt Col.
History of the Stephentown Veterans Park
The Stephentown Veterans Park was conceived in 2002 when local Veterans decided to build a lasting memorial to friends and neighbors who served their country. They formed the Veterans of the Stephentown Area Inc. which spearheaded the project. Fundraisers, the receipt of grants, the work of volunteers, and donations from area residents and businesses enabled their vision to be realized.
Stephentown Veterans Memorial Park was officially dedicated on November 13, 2004. The posthumous honoree that day was Lt. Colonel John Overlock – MIA, a former Stephentown resident whose Air Force jet crashed over North Vietnam on August 16, 1968. He is still officially listed as Missing in Action. His name along with other men and women who have served in the military beginning with the Spanish American War are inscribed on the memorial wall.
An obelisk honoring those who had served in the American Revolution and Civil War was added in 2008. There are no names listed for these wars as Stephentown encompassed a much wider area at the time. The Battlefield Cross Monument was added to the Park in 2017. The iconic helmet, weapon, boots, and dog tags have become a symbol of loss, mourning, and closure for the living.
Battlefield Cross Monument
The Battlefield Cross Monument is a re-creation of a memorial erected when a member of the military has died on the battlefield. Service members may refer to it as “a fallen soldier battle cross” or “battlefield cross. This symbolic display has been used in varying forms in all 20th-century conflicts waged by the United States and continues to be seen during military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The deceased’s helmet, weapon, and boots are placed on the ground on the battlefield or at a base camp, where a brief memorial service is held by surviving members of the squad to honor their fallen comrade. The use of the helmet, weapon, boots, and dog tags has become a symbol of loss, mourning, and closure for the living.
We hope you enjoy and tour the Stephentown Veterans Memorial Park and reflect on the contributions of the area veterans who have served and sacrificed for the United States of America.
