Queens Borough President Melinda Katz on Thursday presented John Rowan (l.), national president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and Haitian American Veterans Association President Dr. Fritz Fils-Aime with citations in recognition of their service to the country and their continued service to the veterans community.
Photo Courtesy of Borough President Katz’s office
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz last Thursday honored three borough veterans for their continued advocacy on behalf of the nation’s military service members.
Katz presented official citations to John Rowan, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and Dr-Fritz Fils-Aime, founder and president of the Haitian American Veterans Foundation during Borough Hall’s inaugural Veterans Day Observance Ceremony. World War II hero and veterans advocate Rocco Moretto was also honored on Thursday, but could not attend due to health issues.
“It’s nice to get recognized by your home borough,” Rowan said over the phone from Washington, D.C. during a break from lobbying for resources for veterans. “I really appreciate it.”
Rowan, who grew up in Elmhurst, was reelected last summer to a fifth term as president of the VVA at the organization’s 16th National Convention in Florida. First elected to VVA’s highest office in 2005, Rowan has remained active since the organization’s inception in 1978. A founding member and the first president of VVA Chapter 32 in Queens, he has served as the chairman of VVA’s Conference of State Council Presidents, for three terms on the organization’s Board of Directors, and as president of VVA’s New York State Council.
“For the past 30 years I’ve tried to make sure veterans get everything they need,” said Rowan, a Middle Village resident. At present, Rowan is pushing for a bill with bipartisan support that would allocate funds to research the effects of Agent Orange on the children of Vietnam veterans.
Rowan, who served in the Air Force, added that he believes that the VVA “has fought so hard for so many things for Vietnam vets that it has rubbed off on” the men and women returning from modern-day conflicts.
“Things like post traumatic stress disorder and making sure [new veterans] get treated right when they come back, no matter how citizens feel about the war,” Rowan noted.
Asked about the late Pat Toro, former president of VVA Chapter 32 who died recently, Rowan called him “a protégé of sorts” and “a great guy who was really very good at getting support from elected officials.”
Fils-Aime, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, called the Veterans Day Observance Ceremony a “great experience,” and said that his goal has always been to bring as many veterans as possible into the benefits system.
“As veterans, we need to be aware of what’s happening,” Fils-Aime said, “because if we don’t use the services and benefits, they’re going to take them away.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
