Eva Montibello. (Courtesy photograph.)
The Haverhill Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission is getting some logistical help as it moves toward dedication of the memorial at Mill Brook Park.
Commissioners hired Alpha E Consulting, operated by Eva Montibello, to manage the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Dedication Ceremony, scheduled sometime this fall.
Commission Chairman Ralph T. Basiliere said, “As the project moves towards completion, the committee continues its practice of engaging local vendors who have exhibited a history of leadership to support community-based projects. We are excited to work with Eva, who has a direct connection to the Vietnam Veteran experience through her father, former Vietnam Veteran Marine Lawrence Montibello.”
Montibello called the occasion “extremely personal.” She explained, “As a child of a Marine who served in Vietnam, I have long mourned the treatment that Vietnam war era veterans experienced upon their return.” She added she is hopeful the dedication brings “healing and completion for Veterans who deserved much better than they received—both from leadership and by Americans at the time of their return.”
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated to the 13 Vietnam veterans from Haverhill who were killed in action, as well as the surviving Veterans of that war. The memorial has an educational component that includes four stations highlighting historical data about the war and the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.