By Sam Rosenfeld, Greenwich
I had the unusual experience of attending a Historic District Committee meeting on the evening of July 9th to speak in favor of building the President George H.W. Bush memorial in a slightly different location out of deference to existing veteran memorials in the area, only to find myself being publicly slandered as “anti-veteran,” in front of a room full of Greenwich residents in Town Hall, by none other than First Selectman Fred Camillo.
Rendering of George H.W. Bush statue outside the Havemeyer building.
Rendering of proposed monument location.
Existing conditions
My primary goal in writing and speaking at this forum was expressing deference to President Bush and to veterans, among whom my family are counted. It’s well known that Bush was a humble man and wasn’t the type of leader who would want his own image to overshadow that of fallen veterans. He survived being shot down in WWII but his two crewmen did not, and he recalled the sorrow at their loss numerous times throughout his long and accomplished life.
I would have expected a point like this to be received, and simply met with the counterpoint “Thank you for your concern, however we feel that because President Bush was a veteran, his monument should be among them.” Instead, First Selectman Camillo stood in stark contrast to the war hero we were discussing and began a long-winded, misguided personal attack.
The First Selectman began the meeting admitting that he hadn’t fully read an article I wrote a few days ago, where I shared that both my father and grandfather served, as well as my deep respect for President George H.W. Bush. He proceeded to tell the Historic District Commission how “vile” he found the article, and how offended he was by words he hadn’t read.
We had all come to the HDC meeting to speak in favor of building a monument to George H.W. Bush, and I had expected given the subject was a man who embodied humility and respect for fellow Americans, to see that type of conduct modeled. Instead, First Selectman Camillo continued his opening remarks with a tirade accusing me of “spreading lies and misinformation,” and that I was against building anything to honor Bush, even though I wrote in support of a monument in my article, and I had signed up to speak in support of it that very night in the HDC meeting. The First Selectman angrily claimed that my mere suggestion that this monument be built in its own dedicated area out of deference to fallen Greenwich soldiers was “clearly partisan.”
Here is one excerpt from my op ed for First Selectman Camillo and anyone else who may have missed it:
“This is not a call to diminish President Bush’s legacy. Quite the opposite—I believe we should celebrate his life in a location that allows that story to stand fully on its own. A statue of this stature deserves a prominent, thoughtful location—perhaps near Town Hall, Bruce Park, or another visible public space where his many accomplishments can be appreciated in their full context. Done right, this statue can inspire future generations to public service and remind us of the enduring values President Bush embodied: humility, courage, decency, and duty.”
For the record: I am completely receptive to the counterargument that, because George H.W. Bush is a Greenwich veteran, his monument belongs amongst other Greenwich veterans. I appreciate that point and believe it’s valid, however I feel that its placement may change the message of the other monuments to fallen Greenwich veterans around it. That’s an opinion I have, and Americans have fought hard for our freedom to express our opinions.
If that were what the First Selectman had done Wednesday night, I’d say to myself “at least he listened to the potential concern of overshadowing the fallen Greenwich veterans listed near the monument, but they decided that risk wasn’t substantial enough to consider an alternate location.” That’s how a leader who was truly following in George H.W. Bush’s lead would have handled this. Instead, First Selectman Camillo took the route of a small man in a position of power, beginning a public meeting about monuments to courageous American heroes lobbing petty personal attacks and lies.
I am a proud American and I have nothing but admiration for this country’s servicemen and women. I believe I deserve an apology from First Selectman Camillo. If he is a person who claims to be following President George H.W. Bush’s legacy of decency, he’ll bring himself to do so. And if not, then I can only speculate that his passion for placing this monument directly in the middle of the others may be what’s misplaced.
See also:
Rosenfeld: A Place of Honor, Not Displacement July 7, 2025