Beacon memorial opened in 1924 after close vote
During World War II, 1,704 Beacon residents, about 14 percent of the population, served in the Armed Forces. At least 67 men died, and many survivors suffered physical and mental disabilities.
Now, Vietnam vets are the old-timers at the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts inside the Veterans Memorial Building at the intersection of Main and Teller.
This year marks the structure’s centennial. Beacon built the edifice for the VFW and the Legion after a referendum authorized the city to spend $60,000 (about $1.1 million today) by a 317-310 margin, according to the Beacon Historical Society. American City magazine claimed it to be the nation’s most expensive war memorial at the time.
Residents packed the plaza for the opening on Memorial Day in 1924. That same year, the Elks christened its lodge and the U.S. government opened the Castle Point VA Medical Center to treat tuberculosis patients.
Beacon donated the Memorial Building to the Legion and VFW; for the veterans, the only overhead is maintenance and repairs. The organizations derive a good chunk of revenue by renting out the hall.
“You won’t see many arrangements like this — we’re a rare bird,” says Harold Delamater, commander of the Private William B. Wilson Post 666 of the VFW, named for the first city resident to die in World War I.
Delamater, the man with the keys, is a retired police officer who served in Vietnam. “Beacon has always taken care of its veterans; it’s just been like that,” he says.
He says that Beacon battled the vets in the late 1990s to move its detective bureau into the building. For a while, officers occupied the second floor. The metal rings to which they handcuffed detainees still dangle from the wall.
Some rooms are museum-like, with artifacts scattered about, such as a book of meeting minutes from the 1880s for the Grand Army of the Republic, the nation’s first large-scale veterans’ organization, created by Union soldiers and sailors after the Civil War. The local post met at what is now the Howland Cultural Center.
Thanks to a grant from Dutchess County, the Memorial Building is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The plaza, which includes three monuments to fallen combatants, looks spiffy and the abundant vegetation is cared for.
In addition to the Legion (85 members) and the VFW (53), the Marine Corps League (62) and the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club (15) also gather there.
Two years ago, Guardian Revival, a mental health organization geared toward Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan war vets, moved into the building, fixing up the attic and turning a moribund room into an office.
In addition to hosting Tuesday night jam sessions, Guardian Revival lends dogs to veterans, offers peer support and takes first responders on outdoor adventures.
Of course, there’s a bar, behind an unmarked door. Though the serving area could have been teleported from the 1960s, the modern kitchen shines. Beer fills the refrigerator and fuels stories.
“Between us and Guardian Revival, it’s a completely different way of coping,” says Delamater. “They don’t come down and have a couple of beers with the old guys. Each generation handles it their own way.”
