Herbert J. Dunmore, Jr.

Herbert J. Dunmore, Jr. served in the United States Army and achieved the rank
of Sergeant E-5.

Mr. Dunmore’s assignments included Vietnam from 1966 to 1968 after being
drafted at 19 years of age. At the time, he was attending night school.

His units of service included Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry
Division. Mr. Dunmore’s tours of duty included Fort Hamilton, New York; Fort
Ord, California; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Riley, Kansas; and Vietnam.

Six months after being drafted, Mr. Dunmore was engaged in combat in Vietnam.
His patrol group was walking when an enemy mine exploded under them in
1966. Shrapnel cut through his face, elbow, and leg. Mr. Dunmore spent seven
weeks in the hospital and was awarded a Purple Heart, an honor given to military
members wounded or killed while serving.

Upon returning home, Mr. Dunmore became an instructor to special education
students in the basics of math, science and reading. He helped develop lesson
plans and behavioral and academic improvement plans to ensure timely
graduation from middle school and high school. He is also a retired Technology
Sales Executive.

Currently, Mr. Dunmore is actively involved with the community to create a
monument that commemorates the contributions of current military members
and veterans of color from Syracuse. The monument is planned for Kirk Park on
the City’s South Side, located in the historical Black districts in Syracuse.

Mr. Dunmore is the Post Commander for American Legion Dunbar Post 1642
– one of the oldest all-Black veterans’ legions in the country. The Dunbar Post
began in 1947 as a social space for Black veterans in Syracuse.

Born in Harlem, he relocated to Syracuse in 1976 and married his wife, Linda. He
is proud of their two sons, Herbert Jay and Vernon, and has seven grandchildren.