Vietnam War Monument in Medina upgraded with flower bed, sandstone edging

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Six members of the American Legion and VFW in Medina are veterans of the Vietnam War. Posing here with the Vietnam Memorial at the American Legion on North Main Street are, from left, David Higgins, Don Hinman, Jim Freas, David Kusmierczak, David Walker and Tony Vicknair. Walker and a friend, Tom Beach, recent updated the monument with a flower bed and sandstone edging.

MEDINA – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial next to the Butts-Clark American Legion Post in Medina has recently undergone an updating, with the addition of a flower bed and sandstone edging.

The work was done by Vietnam veteran David Walker and his friend Tom Beach, who have been friends since before the Vietnam War era.

“When I returned from Vietnam, Tom was the first one to recognize my service,” Walker said.

Walker lives across the road from the American Legion and didn’t like the way the memorial was looking.

“I got tired of sitting on my porch and watching the grass grow up around the monument,” Walker said. “I asked the Legion why they didn’t take better care of it, and they said it belonged to the village.”

The monument consists of a large stone with a plaque of the names of the seven soldiers from Medina who were killed in Vietnam. They are Rolland Shubbuck, who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Roger Cook, Charles Seefeldt Jr., LeRoy Keller, Nicholas Natale, John Albanese and George Underdown.

“I went to school with all of them except Shubbuck,” Walker said. “I came home alive and intact and these guys didn’t. People don’t realize the brotherhood of those in the military. “

For that reason, Walker wanted to see their memorial taken care of.

The memorial sits at the north end of the Legion on the bank of the Erie Canal. It is backed by a large American flag and bullets from a cannon stand on either side.