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Community Corner

Memorial Day Ceremony: New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

An announcement from the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation:

 The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will hold its Memorial Day ceremony on May 28 at 11 a.m. at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Holmdel. The guest speaker at this year's ceremony will be Major General William D. Razz Waff. The ceremony will also include the presentation of two scholarships to New Jersey high school seniors and the induction of five Vietnam Veterans into the Memorial's "In Memory" Program.

MG Waff is the Commanding General of the 99th Regional Support Command, headquartered at Fort Dix, New Jersey and also the Senior Commander at Fort Devens, Massachusetts and Fort Dix, New Jersey. As the Commanding General, Waff is responsible for administrative, logistics and facilities support to more than 51,000 Army Reserve Soldiers and 160,000 family members in 439 units at 328 Army Reserve centers and 33 maintenance facilities in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine Vermont, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia. Prior to his current assignment, Waff was the Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Human Resources Command.

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will be awarding two $2,500 college scholarships during the ceremony. The scholarship recipients are Amanda Berlinski of Mountainside, graduating from Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, and Katherine Jacobs of Hillsborough, graduating from Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough.

During the ceremony, the Foundation will induct five Vietnam Veterans into its "In Memory" Program. "In Memory" honors New Jerseyans who served and died as a result of the war in Vietnam but whose names are not on the Memorial. Some of these deaths are due to Agent Orange exposure, Hepatitis C and the physical or emotional wounds received in Vietnam. The inductees' names will be placed on an engraved stone inside the Memorial so that all who visit will know that they are with their honored comrades. As part of the ceremony, family members will say a few words about their loved one and light a candle in their memory. A book of biographical information, complied by the family, is also placed in the Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center's Resource Room.

The five " In Memory " inductees are:

   • Specialist 4th Class Steven A. Carrozzo of Mays Landing, NJ
   • Sergeant First Class Jack A. Corvasce of Keansburg, NJ
   • Lance Corporal Walter F. Drozewski of Jersey City, NJ
   • Private First Class Eugene A. Valentino of Jersey City, NJ
   • Specialist 4th Class James R. West of Jackson, NJ

The Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Memorial Day and admission is free for all visitors. The Museum is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116 in Holmdel. The Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Museum is normally open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM. For more information on the Memorial or Museum, call 732-335-0033 or visit www.njvvmf.org .

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