In Honor of Our Troops
In Honor of Our Troops is a tribute page that acknowledges the great sacrifice that our men and women in the military make to maintain our Freedom. It is often said that, “America will only be the land of the free as long as it is the home of the brave. “Well, if that is true, then America is in good hands because the Hopatcong community can attest to the fact that we have, standing in our midst and serving in countries around the world, brave and heroic soldiers who believe in something bigger than themselves. They believe in our values, our culture and our way of life. They believe in America, and we, a grateful community, believe in them.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION, PERSONAL SACRIFICE, AND SERVICE
America
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Samuel BochnerDates of Service: 1942 to 1945 Sam Bochner served in the U.S. Navy as a Baker 2nd Class from 1942 to 1945 aboard the USS Denver. His ship survived 2 Kamikaze hits. Sam received several medals for his service to our country. He was Honorably Discharged on November 8, 1945. |
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Steven Kleiner
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Colonel Gregory A. DaddisDates of Service: 1989 to Present Colonel Gregory A. Daddis earned a MS Degree in Military History at Villanova University and a PhD in Military History from the University of North Carolina. He has served on 54 Tours overseas, 21 years of active duty, and is currently a professor of Military History at West Point. |
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Julio F. Rivera Jr.Dates of Service: June 2008 to June 2014; Re-enlisted June 2014 Julio F. Rivera Jr. has served in the United States Air Force for the last six years. He has recently re-enlisted for an additional four years. Julio has been deployed to UAE and Afghanistan. |
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Seaman Kenneth M. TrumporeDates of Service: 1960 to 1966 Seaman Kenneth M. Trumpore was a Seaman in the Coast Guard Reserves. Ken enlisted prior to the Cuban Missile crisis and served in the Coast Guard Reserves for 8 years. |
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Sgt. Jordan L. FebusDates of Service: 6/01/2010-9/30/2016 Sgt Febus’ joined the Marines on 6/01/2010. After graduating Recruit Training, he attended Marine Combat Training at Camp Geiger, NC and began MOS training in NAS Pensacola, FL as an Air Crew Candidate where he was assigned to the CH-53E MOS School. Sgt Febus then went to CNATT in Jacksonville, North Carolina for his mechanics school where he graduated at the top of his class and was meritoriously promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in May 2011. He then completed flight school and was sent to VMM-261 (REIN) where he would deploy on the 24th MEU in March 2012. While on his deployment, Sgt Febus qualified as a Plane Captain with about 300 flight hours. Upon returning from his first deployment in December 2012, Sgt Febus volunteered for Marine Security Guard duty and received orders for class 5-13 as a student watch stander. After successfully completing Marine Security Guard School, Sgt Febus was assigned to the Embassy in Paris, France. Since his arrival to Detachment Paris, Sgt Febus was assigned as Supply, CBRN, NMPS, Vehicle and Training NCO. Sgt Febus is currently the MSGR and Safety NCO for Detachment Islamabad, Pakistan. |
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Specialist 4 Norman CaulfieldDates of Service: 1967 to 1969 |
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Specialist 4 Richard CaulfieldDates of Service: 1963 to 1965 |
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Specialist 4 Robert CaulfieldDates of Service: 1967 to 1969 |
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PFC Eliomar HernandezDates of Service: August 2013 – Present PFC Eliomar Hernandez graduated from Hopatcong High School in 2013. His passion was to serve in the military and then pursue a career as a police officer. Eliomar was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia for his infantry training. After 14 rigorous weeks, he graduated from boot camp and was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he continued to train hard for a 9 month deployment to Afghanistan to take part in “Operation Freedom”. Eliomar completed his first tour and was returned to his Colorado base as of 11/28/2014 after a long 9 month deployment. |
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Sergeant Bruce N. GenungDates of Service: 1979 to 1982, 1985 to 2006 Bruce N. Genung was a Sergeant First Class in the position of Drill Sergeant. He served in Kuwait in 2005 where the photograph was taken. |
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Sergeant Laura Taylor OostdykDates of Service: March 1985-October 1990 |
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Staff Sergeant Daniel Robert WilliamsDates of Service: December 2001 – Present Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Williams enlisted in the Marine Corp. after the September 11th attacks. He received and completed his training at Parris Island, South Carolina in March of 2002. "Military Occupational Specialty – Aviation Ordnance". Staff Sgt. Williams deployed on the USS Bonhomme Richard during Operation Iraqi Freedom from January through July of 2003. His second deployment was on the USS Harry S. Truman during Operation Enduring Freedom from March through December 2010. His third deployment was on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Continuing the efforts of Operation Enduring Freedom from February through October 2012. Service from 2002–2008 included loading weapons and repairing weapon systems on the AV8B Harrier. Service from 2008–2013 included loading weapons and repairing weapons on the F-18L Hornet. During his service from 2013 to present, Staff Sgt. Williams was a Quality Assurance Representative on the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. |
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Specialist 4 Martin W. Janowski Dates of Service: February 8, 1959 to January 31, 1965 Specialist 4 Martin W. Janowski joined the United States Army on February 8, 1959. Marty drove a M37 truck with a radio shack on the back. He would drive the truck up on top of a mountain every week to take part in practice drills. Marty would radio for two F-86 Sabre jets and dispatch the location of a mock convoy. The pilots would then practice striffing the convoy to complete the drill. Martin received the Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged on January 31, 1965. |
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Captain Constance Teresa Janowski M.A., RNDates of Service: 1989 to indefinite Captain Constance Teresa Janowski enlisted in the United States Army at 50 years old because she wanted to take the place of younger nurses with small children that were being called to duty for Desert Shield. She used her nursing experience and skills to train nurses. "Connie" taught the military nurses how to care for the wounded soldiers on the battle field and in a Triage situation. She also provided additional training on how to remove military evidence when faced with an enemy advancement. |
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Specialist 5 Alan GilbertDates of Service: July 1969 to April 1970 Specialist 5 Alan Gilbert was office manager of the biggest army depot in the world for eleven months. This was in 1969 and 1970, during the Vietnam War. |
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Specialist 4 Alan J. ArnowitzDates of Service: August 4, 1964 to July 28, 1996 Specialist 4 Alan J. Arnowitz completed Basic Training at Ft. Dix, N.J., before his AIT/MP training at Ft. Riley, Kansas with the 207th MPs. Alan patrolled the Post and did limited work as a guard in the Federal Prison. He was a Spec.4(E4) based in Cam Ranh, Vietnam from September 65 through July 66. Alan was a member of the 630th MPs Foot, Boat and Jeep Patrol, Convoy Escort and Ship Guard. Alan has been a resident of Hopatcong for 22 years. |
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Alan T. AndersonDates of Service: 1964 to 1968 Officer of the deck U.S.S. Intrepid, Alan was trained in the Officer Candidate School in R.I. and was the Officer of the deck on the U.S.S. Intrepid. Alan was at sea for most of his career, completing 3 tours of duty in Vietnam and one tour of Africa. He was given special clearance in security matters. |
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Arthur BondaDates of Service: January 1942 to January 1945 |
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PFC Ben AdelskyDates of Service: 1949 to 1952 Private First Class Ben Adelsky was drafted into the US Army in 1949. He served in Germany from 1949-1952 at Signal Depot. Ben had training in signal school and was sent to Japan in the signal. He was a teletype and had been in different units at the Tokyo radio station. Ben learned what was needed. |
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Sergeant Connor James BorshardDates of Service: July 2010 to Present Sergeant Connor James Borshard enlisted in July 2010 at the age of 18. He took his training at Parris Island, SC and graduated Boot Camp October 2010. He was deployed overseas from March 2013 to November 2013. Connor recently returned from his second tour in the Middle East, deployed December 12, 2014 and returned July 14, 2015. |
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Corporal Rene HoerDates of Service: January 1951 to January 1953 Corporal Rehe Hoer was a Combat Engineer in the United States Army. He helped build bridges and roads so the troops could move through. |
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MPs-PFC Donald Joseph TyskaDates of Service: 1965 to 1967 MPs-PFC Donald J. Tyska was approached by a pregnant Vietnamese woman at the Army supply base. Before he could even call for an ambulance, the woman went into labor. Assisted by another soldier, he helped the woman onto a bench, and the newborn baby “just fell” into his hands. The mother named the baby boy “Ticka” which was as close as she could come to pronouncing Tyska. |
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Specialist Edwin LamberskiDates of Service: September 26, 1961 to May 12, 1965 Specialist Edwin Lamberski joined the United States Air Force in September 1961. Edwin completed a training course on electrical power production at Sheppard AFB, Texas in April, 1962. As a Specialist, he was sent to England to work on electric generators and engines at remote sites until he was honorably discharged in May, 1965. |
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Forrest (Jim) SuttonDates of Service: July 23, 1956 to July 23, 1960 |
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Frank J. LamsonDates of Service: December 1944 to August 1946 Frank J. Lamson has been a resident of Hopatcong since 1959. |
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Gary M. HuffDates of Service: 2003 to Present |
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Lieutenant Kenneth MurisonDates of Service: 1943 to 1946 Lieutenant Kenneth Murison witnessed the obliteration caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. |
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RM3 Leonard G. KatchmaricDates of Service: August 1954 to February 1958 RM3 Leonard G. Katchmaric served as a Radioman III during the Korean War. He was on the US Des Moines (CS-134) which was the lead ship of the Des Moines-Class heavy cruisers in the United States Navy. |
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LS2 Petty Officer Mark FavaraDates of Service: 2010-December 29, 2014 Mark was a longtime resident of Hopatcong, NJ. Mark was an Active Duty Navy "LS2" Logistics Specialist Second Class with 4 years of services including 1 deployment. He was stationed on the USS Nimitz CVN 68 and Fort Myers Recruiting Center. |
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Sergeant Michael N. PetilloDates of Service: 1941 to 1945 Sergeant Michael N. Petillo was a mechanic assigned to the amphibian “Ducks.” The amphibian vessels were used in the Italian invasions to move the soldiers in and carry their supplies. |
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Major Philip Engle Jr.Dates of Service: May 1992 to Present Major Philip Engle Jr. moved to Hopatcong in June 2000 and served in the United States Army Reserve. He was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a member of the 411th Engineer Brigade from New Windsor, NY. He now serves as the Deputy G4 for the 411th Engineer Brigade, and returned to the US in February 2013. |
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HM2 Jason C. WolffDates of Service: July 2007 to Present HM2 Jason C. Wolff graduated Hopatcong High School in June of 2007. In July, 2007, he entered the service as a United States Navy Corpsman with RPOC Great Lakes Training at Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, CA., and then reported to Okinawa. He was a Marine Rescue Swimmer deployed to 3D Med Bat, 3D Marine Expeditionary Force Camp Barharia, Iraq. He was promoted to Petty Officer FMF in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Jason is in the Navy, but attached to a Marine Division. He is in the Fleet Marine Force and is a Hospital Corpsman Second Class. Jason will be discharged on November 19, 2014 after 8 years of service. |
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PFC Raymond A. SammarcoDates of Service: October 22, 1954 to |
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Richard James BondDates of Service: 2007 to Present Richard James Bond joined the NJ National Guard while still in high school. After graduation, he took basic training in Georgia and stepped-up training in Texas. He was flown to Kuwait and then deployed to Iraq for one year. In early 2011, he was deployed to Afghanistan. |
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Robert ModickDates of Service: 1952 to 1956 Robert Modick served 4 years on the first angled-deck aircraft carrier. Bob was stationed in Cuba on the USS Antietam during Fidel Castro’s overthrow of the government. |
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Robert Wayne OrrDates of Service: May 9, 1942 to January 4, 1946 Robert Wayne Orr enlisted in 1942. He was stationed at Lythan Air Force Base in England with the 504th Service Squadron. He also served in France. |
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SC3/C William G. SigismondoDates of Service: January 25, 1945 to August 3, 1946 At 17, SC3/C William G. Sigismondo joined the Navy and was assigned to a ship under Admiral Halsey’s 7th Fleet. William was the only cook and baker on a wooden WW1 ship, 120’ by 20’, the size of a tugboat, assigned to dispatch orders in the South Pacific. He never learned to swim and was seasick for two years. At age 85 William is still alive and kicking. Hallelujah! |
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Sergeant Anthony NicolicchiaDates of Service: 2009 to 2014 Sergeant Anthony Nicolicchia was in the United States Army as a Military Police Officer. He served for five years, and returned home on July 25,2014. |
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PFC Robert B. KleinDates of Service: 1944 to 1946 PFC Robert B. Klein served as a machine Gunner in Patton’s 3rd. Army from 1944 to 1946. When he went into battle he was told in advance that a machine gunner had a ten minute life expectancy. Robert still lives in Hopatcong in the same house that his grandfather built. |
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Sergeant John L. Cook IIIDates of Service: December 2006 to Present Sergeant John L. Cook III is a graduate of HHS Class of 2006. He enlisted in the USMC in December of 2006. After boot camp he attended his MOS school in the field of Signals Intelligence in Pensacola, Florida and then was stationed in Menthwith Hill, England for 2 years. He has been serving in Afghanistan since 2010. |
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Sergeant Thomas FisichellaDates of Service: November 11, 1942 to October 25, 1945 Sergeant Thomas Fisichella served as a Cryptograph Technician in World War II. Thomas was fortunate enough to receive an “Eyes Alone” message from Washington DC, which was sent to the commanding officer in regards to the surrender of Japan. |
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Sergeant Ryan P. BurnsDates of Service: November 2003 to April 2009 Sergeant Ryan P. Burns placed a wreath on Veterans Memorial Monument during Hopatcong’s Memorial Day Ceremony. The wreath was in honor of all of the brave men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom. |
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Captain Silvio S. MatarazzoDates of Service: 1942 to 1945 Captain Silvio S. Matarazzo earned his pharmacy degree from Rutgers University and then enlisted in the Army. He was stationed in Italy at the 225th Station Hospital where he was responsible for the hospital pharmacy and supplies. |
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SPC Clint Lee RobinsonDates of Service: 2008 to Present SPC Clint Lee Robinson has won Soldier of the Year Awards in successive competitions under the Medical Command covering the Walson Medical Support Element in Fort Dix, NJ; the West Point Health Service Area in the Northern Regional Medical Command, representing Medical Command soldiers from North Eastern Region of the United States. SPC Robinson competes against other Army soldiers with medically-related jobs. |
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Specialist Kristen M. BurnsDates of Service: April 25, 2006 to Present |
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Staff Sergeant Andrew C. TaylorDates of Service: May 2005 to Present Staff Sergeant Andrew C. Taylor graduated from Hopatcong High School in 2004 and enlisted in the United States Air Force in May of 2005. He works in Medical Logistics, as well as plays on the base’s softball team. Andrew has played in the Military World Series in Florida twice and will be competing there this year as well. Andrew spent the first 5 years at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas and was reassigned to Langley AFB, Hampton, Virginia. He was deployed to Qatar twice in his career. |
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Staff Sergeant Robert WatsonDates of Service: 1942 to 1945 Staff Sergeant Robert Watson was a gunner on a B24. He took part in the European Theater Operations. His plane was shot down over Germany and he was captured and sent to Stalag XVIIB Barrack37A. He was a POW for 13 months. He was liberated by Patton’s 13th US Armored Division. |
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Seaman 2/C Stephen T. SchmidtDates of Service: August 1942 to December 1945 Seaman 2/C Stephen T. Schmidt enlisted in the Navy in August of 1942 at age 17. Stephen took his training on the USS New Jersey. He was in all four invasions of WWII where he served on the USS Quincy at A 71. The Quincy was the first to be fired upon by the enemy on the shores of Normandy. He was born June 17, 1925 and died June 28, 2007. |
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Steven SammarcoDates of Service: July 7, 2009 to Present |
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Thomas P. ScardinoDates of Service: April 12, 1943 to December 8, 1945 Thomas P. Scardino drove a truck to transport personnel and equipment, checked operation of trucks, and did minor mechanical work. He served in Battery A 184th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion in France and Germany. |
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William E. MattoonDates of Service: 1942 to 1945 William Mattoon was a radio operator in a B17. He took part in a Flying Fortress Squadron mission over Gelsenkirchen, Germany. His plane was shot down and he was captured by the Germans and brought to Stalag XVII, a concentration camp in Krems, Austria. He survived the forced death march before the end of the war. He died in October 1994. |
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RM1 William H. BartleyDates of Service: 1941 to 1945 RM1 William H. Bartley was born in New York City, December 7, 1924. He attended George Washington HS in Manhattan, NY. Mr. Bartley enlisted in the US Navy on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941. He served as a Radio Man First Class. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy on December 22, 1945. |
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Lt. William T. OrrDates of Service: 1974 to 1987 |
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PFC Charles A. Moore IIIDates of Service: November 2009 to Present |
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Mark R Moore Dates of Service: May 21,2013- November 2017 Branch of Service: Navy Service Location: Point Mugu, California |
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PFC Michael WesterDates of Service: February 2009 to Present Michael is currently deployed to Iraq. His duty station is Fort Stewart, GA. |
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A1C Robert G. DaddisDates of Service: September 1960 to September 1964 A1C Robert G. Daddis was an Airman 1st Class in the United States Air Force. He served in Vietnam in the early 1960’s as a radar operator with expert qualifications for the control of air assault interceptions. |
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Captain Samuel C. HoaglandDates of Service: 1958 to 1960 Captain Samuel C. Hoagland served on project “Black Witch” in Taranto, Italy and was promoted to captain in AFRES June 64. |
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Technical Sergeant Kenneth AimoneDates of Service: 1993 to Present Technical Sergeant Kenneth Aimone and has served in the United States Air Force for 17 Years. He was married on June 6, 2009, and has made a career in the Air Force and is a Crew Chief Instructor, at Main Base Seymore Johnson, AFB North Carolina. He served two tours in Afghanistan and Korea and one tour in Turkey and UAE. |
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USAF Staff Sergeant Edward Carabetta Sergeant Edward Carabetta trained at Keesler AFB in Mississippi for one year to program and maintain a new high security communications system named Forward Propagation Tropospheric Scatter. Later deployed to Crete, Greece as support for this new network installed on mountain tops across 11 European countries. In 1968 served in Da Nang, Tan Son Nhut, Dong Ha, and Monkey Mountain Viet Nam to deploy and maintain a similar high security network.
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USMC Sergeant Anthony Scott Mortola Dates of Service: July 5, 2009 to August 5, 2014 Branch of Service: United States Marine Corps Service Location: Marine Corps. Air Station New River, North Carolina Sgt Tony Mortola served in the USMC for 5 years as a CH-53 Helicopter Airframe Mechanic. He graduated boot camp from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Paris Island, and attended aviation training at Nabal Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. He was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River as well as Joint Base McGuire, Dix, Lakehurst (JBMDL). He took part in one combat deployment to Afghanistan. |
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E4 Senior Airman Christopher Ferrante Dates of Service: June 6,2017- June 5,2021 Branch of Service: US Airforce Service Location: JBSA Lackland, Texas Chris graduated from Livingston High School in 2015 and became a Hopatcong township resident in 2016. In June 2017, Chris entered the U.S. Airforce. Chris’s military journey started at JBSA Lackland, Texas. After numerous accolades from his base commander he quickly rose to a E4 and became a senior Air Man. While stationed at the Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, England Chris become a top-notch electrician servicing and maintaining the electronics in some of America’s most sophisticated Air Defense Systems and Aircraft. His military tours include both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Today Chris is completing his Master’s Degree and intends to complete his Doctorate in Psychology. |
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Karl Mondschein Dates of Service: 1977-1980 Branch of Service: US Air Force Service Location: Offutt AFB, Omaha Nebraska Karl Mondschein served with the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in the United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Working with the Division of Pilot Training. Among other missions Karl Mondschein was TDY to Athens Greece, and Madrid Spain. Upon discharge Karl Mondschein served in the USAF National Guard, TAC, stationed at McGuire AFB, NJ. |
