Long Island Vietnam War veterans honor those lost in an unpopular conflict on 35th anniversary of 100-foot Selden memorial

After 550 combat assault hours as a helicopter crew chief in the Vietnam War, Stephen Hayduk recalled coming home in April 1970 to apathy and vitriol.

On his way to Deer Park, he was warned not to wear his uniform due to protests at Kennedy Airport.

"It was a politically unpopular war, but the people of the United States at the time didn't know how to not conflate that with the service, sacrifice and patriotism of the veterans," Hayduk said during the ceremony that brought out dozens of veterans. "Because we were no different than our fathers. We were young servicemen who joined and enlisted or were drafted, just as they were in World War II."

Thirty-five years ago, Hayduk, who became executive director of the Suffolk County Veterans Memorial Commission, joined Suffolk County officials to build a 100-foot Vietnam veterans monument at Bald Hill in Selden to recognize 256 veterans from Suffolk killed in the war.

Hayduk, who went on to serve as Suffolk's former commissioner of public works, helped build the monument in 1991, including an obelisk topped with the Stars and Stripes, that has been refurbished and was commemorated by veterans and county officials Monday at Bald Hill.

Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine recognized the original founders of the memorial, including Hayduk and the late Legis. Rose Caracappa, and vowed to honor the county's promise to always remember the 58,000 Americans killed in the war and about a half million others who served or were injured in combat.

"Although the war was not always popular, your service should never be forgotten to this country and this memorial reflects that," Romaine said. "It was a commitment that was made 35 years ago at one of the highest peaks in Suffolk County to put a memorial to the men and women that served our country, we cannot and should never forget our service."

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said his father served as a U.S. Army radar technician stationed along the demilitarized zone between the Koreas during the Vietnam War. He said the Vietnam veterans memorial "has stood as a promise that the service and sacrifice of our Vietnam veterans will never be forgotten."

"Our responsibility is to keep that promise through our words, our actions and what we teach the next generation," Panico said. "Today, we remember the Americans who never came home. Behind every name is a family, a life, a future left unfulfilled. We remember those who returned with wounds others could see, and those who carried burdens that remained hidden for decades."

Rocky Point VFW Post Commander Joe Cognitore, who served as a sergeant platoon leader in Vietnam, said recognizing the memorial Monday was a tribute to veterans who never came back and a permanent monument for their service.

"This is a history lesson," Cognitore said. "Monuments make sure history stays here as a reminder of what we did and those who served."