Vietnam Memorial Dedication On Tap For Thursday In Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ - Thy Cavagnaro will never forget the online message she received from a Vietnam veteran a while back.

Cavagnaro, a Vietnam refugee, had posted a message online thanking Vietnam veterans for their service. She didn't expect the message she received from one of them.

"He said he was very sorry he didn't kill all of my ancestors first," Cavagnaro said.

She wanted to find out why someone harbored so much hatred after all these years since Vietnam. And she did not blame him for what he said.

"I want him to realize I still appreciated what he did for my family," she said. "I made it my mission to try and find as many Vietnam veterans as possible."

That incident led to her creation of her Facebook page "Thanking Vietnam Veterans In Barnegat." And on Thursday, Thy, her husband James, Vietnam veterans, officials and and a host of speakers will gather at noon for the dedication of a monument at Barnegat's Gazebo Park on Route 9 and West Bay Avenue.

The monument is the culmination of one of the couple's two goals. The other is inviting area Vietnam veterans to a series of small dinners to talk and show their appreciation for their service.

The Cavagnaros paid for the entire cost of the monument and the two dinners that have already been held, because it means that much to them. They will continue with the dinners until they have tracked down all the veterans, she said.

"Our hope is for other towns and communities across America to be inspired by this, and to do the same for their own Vietnam veterans," Thy said. "No donations towards this monument have been or will be accepted."

They have been able to pay for the expenses out of their own pockets.

"We don't go anywhere," she joked.

Thy was only a year and a half old when her entire family escaped Saigon on April 30, 1975.

"We were really, really lucky," she said. "My uncle was captain of a Vietnamese minesweeper."

A representative from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will be at the Barnegat American Legion Post #232 after the dedication ceremony to answer any questions.

David Mullen, a counselor and Veterans Outreach Program Specialist from the Ventnor Vet Center, will have a table set up veterans who have questions or need help.

After the dedication ceremony, a lunch for the veterans and the guests will be hosted by the Barnegat American Legion Post 232.

"We would love for as many people to attend as possible, to show our Vietnam veterans how much they’re supported and appreciated," she said. "They are the true VIPs of our event."

Photos: Courtesy of Thy Cavagnaro.