Serrano To Honor
Bronx
Medal of Honor Heroes at Memorial Weekend Ceremony

This weekend, Congressman Serrano will host events in honor of  African-American Medal of Honor recipients Sergeant Cornelius Charlton and Private First Class William Thompson.  The events will highlight and celebrate the contributions of these Bronx soldiers, both of whom were posthumously awarded Congressional Medals of Honor for combat bravery during the Korean War.  Both Charlton and Thompson were living in the South Bronx when they volunteered for service in Korea.  The events will take place at a New York City Parks site:

Charlton

Garden

, a small park in the
Bronx
neighborhood of Morissania named after Sergeant Charlton. 

For many veterans from the
South Bronx
, the May 28th ceremony is an opportunity to expose the local community to the heroic but largely unknown stories of Sgt. Charlton and Pfc. Thompson.  The Friends of Charlton Garden, a local community group comprised of veterans and residents of Morrisania, hope that this weekend’s events will generate excitement for the idea of turning the Garden into a memorial site, which promises to be the only memorial in
New York City
dedicated to veterans of color.  On Friday, there will be a community clean-up of the Garden sponsored by City Year and the City Parks Department and on Saturday there will be a special commemorative event at the site. 

Charlton Garden is located at the intersection of East 164th Street, Teasdale Place, Boston Road, and Cauldwell Avenue in Morrisania, the
Bronx
. 

Friday’s (May 27) Clean up-event will begin at 10 AM at the Garden and will include volunteers from City Year,

Fordham

University

’s ROTC program and Community Affairs Office, active Navy seamen in town for Fleet Week, Korean and Vietnam War veterans, and other community members.

Saturday’s (May 28) ceremony will be hosted by Congressman Serrano and will begin at 2 PM, also at the Garden.  It will include a military color guard, 21-gun salute, a reading of the names of the soldiers from the Bronx who died during the Korean War, a playing of “Taps,” and remarks from Congressman Serrano and other local leaders, in addition to leaders of The Friends of Charlton Garden, a local organization formed with the specific mission of preserving the rich history of South Bronx military veterans and their service.  The organization has been instrumental in drawing attention to Charlton Garden and its historical significance.  In addition to honoring those who fought and served in the armed forces, the May 28th ceremony will also mark the revival of an important veterans’ memorial in the Bronx after many years of neglect.

For more information about

Charlton

Garden

from the Parks Department’s website, see: http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=8757

For more information about Charlton and Thompson, see:

http://www.goarmy.com/bhm/moh_korean.jsp

# # #

Congressman Serrano has represented the
Bronx
in Congress since 1990.  He is a Vietnam War-era veteran and is a member of the Public Service Caucus which promotes service programs such as Americorps and its successful City Year program.