Tom Van Etten, a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32, salutes the coffin of Randolph Michael Royal at Calverton National Cemetery last week. Photos Courtesy Tom Corbin
Twelve men gathered last Thursday morning and saluted the coffin of a man they knew very little about.
With the aid of a small bus, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 of Queens escorted Randolph Michael Royal’s body from Hess-Miller Funeral Home in Middle Village all the way to Calverton National Cemetery in Long Island. They arranged to have two present-day Army members attend and conduct a flag folding ceremony for Royal. A live bugler played “Taps.” To the veterans, this was a nice touch – often there is only a recording available.
The Queens organization has buried more than 80 veterans over the past five years. The chapter is led by President Paul Narson, Vice President Mike Daughtry, Treasurer Tom Corbin, and Chaplain Tom Van Etten.
“It’s a matter of respect,” Narson said. “We consider it an honor and a privilege. These men deserve to be buried with dignity. They earned it.”
Members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 pay their respects to Randolph Michael Royal at the funeral the group held for him last week.
None of the Queens veterans had ever met Royal. What they knew of the man was information delivered as a part of a two-page release from the Mayor’s Office of Veteran Affairs. Royal had served in the U.S. Army during the late 1970s and early 80s.
Royal died July 25 at the age of 60. The long wait period for the funeral, which can stretch to as long as six months, is not uncommon in these situations, Narson said. Royal’s sister was listed as having abandoned her brother.
The goal of these Vietnam veterans is to not allow anyone who served their country to end up in an unmarked grave at Potter’s Field on Hart Island in the Bronx – the largest public graveyard in the country. Part of the reason the Vietnam veterans have taken on this continual task is a loophole that allows them to transport a body out of the city, something the mayor’s office cannot do.
An undercurrent in this activity, that Narson and Corbin acknowledged, is that, in a different world where a few life decisions had been made differently – a family relationship might have been strained – one of them could have been in the same situation as Royal.
One member of the chapter talked about tearing up at a recent veterans parade when a woman thanked him for his service. Narson said this crowd reaction was not the response when they were returning from Vietnam with the thoughts of war still heavy on their minds. Daughtry served during the Tet Offensive – one of the largest military campaigns during the Vietnam War. He was shot twice.
“In the last couple of years we were starting to get big ovations,” Narson said. “I always tell people, ‘Stop blaming the vets. Blame the people who put us there. We went where we were told to go.’”
These vets are offering the respect they desire. Royal will not be forgotten. Keeping the flag from the ceremony, it will be placed with others along the chapter house’s wall. Should a relative come and claim it, they will conduct a ceremony handing off the flag, but the nameplate will stay up and they will put another flag in its place.
By Ben Kleine
