Our Montville

Thank a Veteran - Person of the week

Montville seniors stitch patriotic patches to comfort wounded vets

Residents at The Chelsea work as a team, sewing pieces together to make quilt - Little by little, the fabric had been pieced together to form a patriotic tapestry. Calico patches of red, white and blue formed a border around the motif of stars and stripes juxtaposed with a soaring bald eagle.

All that was left was the binding and the cotton patchwork quilt -- devised with a specific recipient in mind -- would be finished by the residents of The Chelsea at Montville .

"I think it's gorgeous," exclaimed Jean Colquhoun, who helped sew the patches with several other women at the senior home on Changebridge Road over the past month.  In Daily Record.

Montville students help VFW find graves

Three Lazar Middle School students -- Ryan Karg, Dan Knauer and Will Kim -- collaborated with the Montville VFW to locate tombstones of veterans who have fought in battles prior to World War I.

This year's project at The United Methodist Church in Towaco has identified 22 veterans who fought in the Civil War.  See Daily Record.

The real "Great Escape"

Many  people have seen the Steve McQueen movie The Great Escape.  This is about the tunnel the real POWs used.

 

Although the following graphic story fails to tell that most of the men who escaped were caught and killed, the genius that went into this tunnel is still remarkable.

http://www.kerman94.com/tunnelharry.html

Hat tip:  Barbara G.

Montville veteran returns to the skies

Private pilot brings him on Honor Flight to WWII Memorial - As Hjalmar Johansson stood before the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Montville veteran was filled with a feeling of gratitude for those who had brought him to this spot.   Less than two hours earlier, Johansson, 83, had boarded a Cessna at Morristown Airport for a gratis flight to Manassas, Va., courtesy of private pilot Bill Frees. 

But the thoughts coursing through Johansson's mind as he viewed the memorial for the first time, four years after it was unveiled, were for his comrades in arms, who will never get to see the site.  "I was thinking how fortunate I was to have survived (the war)," recalled Johansson, who was imprisoned by the Nazis in 1944.   Photo and article courtesy of Daily Record.

Morris veterans remind us what the holiday is really about

Download NationalAnthem.wmv

The Memorial Day and Veteran's Day Association of Morristown and Morris Township will hold its remembrance ceremony on Monday, according to event Chairman Anthony Romano. 

Romano said the names of the 64 veterans of World War II and other wars who died the past year in Morristown and Morris Township will be read aloud.  Veteran Robert Tracey, this year's ceremonial officer, also will speak.  Romano said people should take time to remember the veterans, and not use the holiday as just another day at the beach.

"It's a solemn day," Romano said. "It's important to remember all the veterans for their service."  Article and photo courtesy of Daily Record.             

Cheers to Maida and Ralph!

When Ralph and Maida Avallone moved to the township from West New York in 1974, the couple didn't skip a beat in their longtime tradition of volunteering in their hometown.  Since the first act of charity in their new town -- cooking dinner for disabled children from Morristown -- the Avallones have assisted thousands, donating hours and giving their hearts to several local charities and organizations.

"When you do it for so long, you do it automatically," said Ralph Avallone, 82. "You feel like it's something you have to do. I feed my neighbors and friends."  "It's the satisfaction that we're helping someone," said Maida Avallone, 83. "I enjoy it. You get to know people." 

See Volunteerism a way of life for Montville couple.  Photo and article courtesy of Daily Record.

15 Minutes Changed the World

The first week of June is crammed full of historic military anniversaries. We commemorate the Allied D-Day assault against the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. The Israeli-Arab 6-Day War began on June 5, 1967. Israeli jet pilots destroyed Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor on June 7, 1981. The Marshall Plan was introduced as a Cold War defense, on June 5, 1947. 

Yet a US Navy battle this same week, just 6 months after Pearl Harbor and a full 2 years before D-Day, goes largely unnoticed, yet it certainly represents the pivotal event in world military history.

It is the Battle of Midway, which occurred over a three-day period, June 4-6, 1942.  See Montville Blog.

Montville VFW Keeps a Memorial Day Tradition

Gerald Gemian remembers searching in vain for his fellow soldiers at the World War II Memorial inauguration ceremony three years ago in Washington, D.C. 

"I had a big sign with my name on it, and the islands that I fought on, and nobody recognized me,"the 84-year-old recalled on Wednesday. "Everybody in my company is gone."  See Daily Record.   Discuss on Montville Blog.

Montville VFW Post 5481 Memorial Day program on May 30

Montville VFW Post 5481 will conduct its annual Memorial Day program on May 30, the traditional Memorial Day date.  The program will begin at 11 a.m. on the grounds of the Post Home on Changebridge Road.  All residents are invited to attend.  Discuss on Montville Blog.