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Veterans take hill with Manchester WWII park

  • Published
  • By David Moore
  • 444th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Whiting, N.J. --  While many combat-hardened veterans may or may not share their stories, and some may choose to quietly put their past behind them, a group of warriors -many in their 80s and 90s- still had one more hill to take.

Thirty acres of land officially became known as the World War II Veterans Memorial Park, April 24 in the Whiting section of Manchester Township. As a result, the World War II veterans have left another legacy.

"Somebody had to do something to remember World War II, otherwise the sacrifice of those who served would have been forgotten," Donald Koos, a D-Day veteran of the 29th Infantry Division's 175th Infantry and a member of the Manchester Township Veterans Advisory Committee, said.

More than 4,000 people came together at the Station Road location, of which more than 1,000 were World War II veterans traveling with families. Attendees shared memories and patriotism amidst speeches, a 82nd Airborne paratrooper drop and chorus, as well as military and veteran organization color guards.

"This has been a labor of love seeing this come together. Everyone who works for the township and my employees have thrown their hearts and soul into this project. We have the largest veteran population in Ocean County and this is the best location for such a park. It's important that we have this ceremony today, because we are losing so many of these veterans every day," Stephen Stanziano, director of public works and technical advisor for the park's development, said.

The recreational park, which is in Ocean County and borders Joint Base-McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is complete with a flag garden, playgrounds and yet-to-be-completed softball and soccer fields. At the center of the park is a bronze statue of a World War II Soldier overlooking a weapon with a helmet resting on it, representing a lost comrade. Stone walls emblazoned with bronze depictions of each military branch that contributed forces to the war effort surround the statue

"This area depicts elegance in simplicity that tells the story of a generation," said Brian Hanlon, of Toms River-based Hanlon studio, who created the Soldier sculpture.
Beyond the statue are six trails, each marked by plaques telling the story of the U.S. military branches involved in World War II. There are also static displays and a playground designed in the militarygenre of a tank, military plane and a boat.

The park, which took three years to develop, used private, corporate and municipal funds to become a reality. On any given day, no matter the weather condition, members of the veterans committee-most of whom are World War II and Korean War veterans with their own stories-started their day at a local restaurant known as Heritage. They plan their day and move out to Ocean County area stores to collect anything from loose change to major contributions for a park expected to cost $190,000 before it was completed.

"All those World War II veterans could have just sat back and relaxed for the rest of their lives. Instead, they took on a new mission, saying 'this is our story and this is our sacrifice.' We are all here today to celebrate our freedoms because of what they did for this country," said Col. Timothy R. Williams, commander of the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade.

The Silver Star citation of Frank Barone and the unit citation for the 350th Infantry Regiment was read to the crowd that depicted the heroics of the man and his unit against enemy gun fire at Mount Bataglia, Italy. Then his grandchildren paid tribute to him, saying their grandfather taught them that 'all that you have at the end day is your family."

Each of the World Wart II veterans from the committee unveiled each wall, while many veterans in the crowd joined in taking the cover off the center Soldier monument.
In a reading by Barone near the end of the ceremony, he looked back on his friend Bill, with whom he shared World War II stories. Later, Bill continued telling the stories so often, many didn't believe him as it seemed he lived an uneventful life at home.

"But what we want our country to remember most is: let's give him the tribute he deserves when he passes and give them the headline that says 'our country is in mourning, for a Soldier died today,'" he concluded.