WEST ORANGE, NJ — The United States may be more divided than ever following the presidential election earlier this month, but on Veterans Day the West Orange community came together for a cause everyone agrees is important — honoring the roughly 22 million living Americans who have risked their lives in service to their country.
Dozens of veterans and civilians attended the township’s annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Town Hall War Memorial Park on the customary 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year. There they watched as the members of VFW Post 376 led the gathering in the Pledge of Allegiance. They listened as Msgr. Michael Kelly of Seton Hall Preparatory School and Pastor Douglas Adams of the J.O.Y. Church of God — both veterans themselves — said prayers for all service members and the nation as a whole.
And they paid close attention as Mayor Robert Parisi sent a particularly poignant message to all the civilians in the audience. It may be easy for people to complain about the election results and various inconveniences, but Parisi urged his fellow civilians to realize that things could be much worse.
“We are really spoiled rotten,” Parisi said before laying a wreath at the Gold Star Mothers memorial, which honors mothers who have lost children while serving in the armed forces. “Our daily struggles will never equal the daily struggles and sacrifices, no matter how many years ago, of the loved ones and friends we honor here today. In these coming weeks and these coming months we would all do well every day to remember that.”
Parisi told the West Orange Chronicle prior to the event that he is proud to continue the township’s tradition of honoring its veterans, which began decades before he took office. The mayor said local service members make up an integral part of the community, and they deserve this recognition.
Army veteran Joe Brennan is certainly pleased to be part of a township that appreciates its veterans. Brennan, who served in Vietnam working in military intelligence assigned to the Special Forces, said the respect West Orange shows is emblematic of the giving spirit of its residents.
But the military was not always viewed in such high regard. Brennan, who earned the Bronze Star for his service, recalled that the Vietnam War era was a very turbulent period to be a soldier, due to the unpopularity of the war. He said he actually served in a unit full of men opposed to the conflict. At the same time though, he said they all agreed that serving their country trumped their personal opinions.
“They felt that, as I did strongly, you couldn’t run away,” Brennan told the Chronicle after emceeing the ceremony. “You couldn’t refuse to serve — it was part of your obligation to make this country right. And when we came home, we weren’t honored with parades. We weren’t honored as veterans today should be honored. But we didn’t turn our back on our country.”
Today’s soldiers are much more likely to receive the respect they deserve, and that pleases World War II veteran Al Guadagno, who served as a technician 5th grade in the China-Burma-India theater. He pointed out that veterans deserve the recognition they receive for all they sacrifice; not only do they put their lives on the line, but they also put their day-to-day lives at home on hold, he said.
“They give up so much while we’re here enjoying this,” Guadagno told the Chronicle prior to the event. “It doesn’t seem to be fair, but it’s fair according to the country we live in. And we’re proud to have to done it, proud to have made it to be alive to enjoy this and (honor) the boys who died.”
Fellow veteran Kim Ameli agreed that those who have served deserve to be honored for their selflessness. Ameli, who was an Army specialist 4th class in Vietnam, said all of the rights Americans hold dear come as a direct result of service members risking their lives. And many pay the ultimate price.
“Freedom isn’t free,” Ameli told the Chronicle before the event. “Tens of thousands of men and women have given their lives so that we can be here to celebrate this day, to have the right and privilege to vote. They gave their lives so all of us have this.”
Ameli, Guadagno and George Zeevalk — a D-Day survivor who proudly told the Chronicle that his son and grandson also served in the military — were three members of the West Orange VFW in attendance at the event. And all were proud to represent the organization, with Ameli and Guadagno pointing out that it spearheads such charitable initiatives as visiting schools and selling poppies to raise money for homeless veterans.
In addition, Ameli and Guadagno said they simply enjoy the camaraderie that comes from serving in the military. Yet, while they might have had similar experiences, Ameli said he appreciates having the chance to learn from people like Guadagno and Zeevalk, who are both nearly 100 years old and have plenty of knowledge to share.
“They are living history,” Ameli said. “Just to be associated with them and be able to be friends with them and be in the same room with them at our meetings — I’m humbled and honored.”
Guadagno also enjoys being around fellow veterans and wishes more younger vets would join the VFW. After all, he said, the future of Post 376 depends on having a continuous membership.
The VFW was not the only group in attendance, though. Colleen Blasi, the West Orange Elks Club’s north central district veterans chairwoman, read a poem commemorating the importance of Veterans Day during the ceremony. Walter Hill and Ron Fahey also presented a wreath on behalf of the 102nd Cavalry Regiment Association, West Orange’s National Guard armory.
Hill and Fahey were proud to represent the regiment, otherwise known as the Essex Troop, which has a rich history dating back to 1890. Since being organized in Newark by Civil War veteran James Fleming, the regiment has sent its members to serve in several conflicts, including the Mexican Border Campaign in 1916, both world wars and the current “war on terrorism.” Its soldiers even accompanied President Woodrow Wilson to his inauguration.
Both were proud to pay tribute to their fellow veterans as well, having spent much of their lives in the service. Hill was a marine in Vietnam and later served in Iraq and Afghanistan, while Fahey joined the National Guard in 1954. Through their experiences they know one thing for certain — veterans deserve to be recognized. After all, Fahey said, this country would be much different without their protection.
“We’d all be speaking German right now, if it wasn’t for us,” Fahey told the Chronicle prior to the ceremony.
Photos by Sean Quinn
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