Inscribed on the memorial are the words “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE … YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN”.
On no day is this more impactful then on Wreaths Across America Day, when the American Legion Family of Post 105 in Belleville participated in the annual nationwide event by placing wreaths at graves throughout New Jersey. One location honored this year was the Passaic County Vietnam Veteran Wall in Wayne.
Nationwide, over 2 million wreaths are placed each year on Wreaths Across America Day, where their goal is “offer[ing] a small gesture of gratitude for the freedoms Americans enjoy.”
The 105 Family has been participating in the event held each year on the third Saturday of December since 2020, visiting BG William C. Doyle Cemetery in Wrightstown, N.J. This was the first year the group visited the Vietnam Veteran Wall.
“As the son of a Vietnam veteran, and growing up in The American Legion around Vietnam veterans, it was important to me personally that we visited this memorial”, noted Detachment of NJ Adjutant Rusty Myers, who organizes 105’s participation in the event each year. “I had never been here before – I’ve only been to the Wall in Washington, D.C. – and this site was equally moving. It was more emotional than I thought it would be.”
The Passaic County Vietnam Veteran Wall is 368 feet long and is an 80% size replica of the original in D.C. The apex of the wall is 9 feet at the center – this is where the two wings of the wall meet, and those wings taper in height down to 2.5 feet at each end. The over 58,000 killed-in-action and missing-in-action servicemen are listed on the gloss black panels from the conflict in Southeast Asia that lasted from 1956-1975.
The only ones at the memorial when they visited at 9 am on the 35-degree Saturday morning, the eight members from American Legion 105 visited the memorial, located at the Passaic County Public Safety Academy, and performed a ceremony. A brief prayer was recited, ending with "…we acknowledge in humble gratitude, those who sacrificed or who gave their life's blood to obtain and secure Liberty." Myers then placed the wreath, followed by a moment of silence and salute.
ALA Unit 105 President Debbie Hall walked away moved by the experience. “To see the names and realize how many men and women gave themselves to protect our country is something that can't be explained. It's emotional, heartwarming and heartbreaking to know many died fighting to defend our freedom."
