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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Corporal Rehe Hoer
- January 1951 - January 1953
- United States Army
- Camp Carson Colorado Greenland   Labrador

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- SC3/C William G. Sigismondo
- January 25, 1945 to August 3, 1946
- United States Navy
- South Pacific, Philippine Islands
At 17, I joined the navy and was assigned to a ship under Admiral Halsey's 7th Fleet.

I 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.

I never learned to swim and was seasick for two years. At age 83 I am still alive and kicking. Hallelujah !

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Sergeant Thomas Fisichella
- Nov. 11, 1942 - October 25, 1945
- Signal Corp
- New Delhi, India
I served as a Cryptograph Technician in World War II.

I 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Alan J. Arnowitz
- August 4, 1964 - July 28, 1966
- United States Army
- Ft. Dix, NJ – Ft. Riley, Kansas   Cam Ranh, Vienam
I completed Basic at Ft. Dix, N.J., before my AIT/MP training at Ft. Riley, Kansas with the 207th MPs.
I patrolled the Post and did limited work as a guard in the Federal Prison.

I was a Spec.4(E4) based in Cam Ranh, Vietnam from September 65 through July 66.
I was a member of the 630th MPs Foot, Boat and Jeep Patrol, Convoy Escort and Ship Guard.

I have been a resident of Hopatcong for 22 years.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Alan Gilbert
- 7/1969 -4/1970
- Army Specialist 5
- Ft. Dix N ; Ft. Monroe VA;
  Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam
I was the office manager of the biggest army depot in the world for eleven months.

This was in l969 and l970, during the Vietnam War.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Ben Adelsky
- 1949-1952
- Army Private First Class
- Germany
In 1945 I was drafted into the US Army.

I spent 1949-1952 in Germany at Signal Depot. I had training in signal school. I was sent to Japan in the signal. I was a teletype and had been in the different units at Tokyo radio station.

I learned what was needed.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Steven Sammarco
- 7/7/09 -
- US Navy
-

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Raymond A. Sammarco
- October 22, 1954 -
- US Army Private First Class
- Camp Gordon, Georgia

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Stephen T. Schmidt
- August, 1942 - December ,1945
- US Navy Seaman 2/C USN
- Boston, Ma.; Quincy,Ma; Europe
Steve enlisted in the Navy in August,1942 at age 17. He took his training on the USS New Jersey.

He was in all four invasions of WWII where he served on the USS Quincy @ A 71.
The Quincy was the first to be fired upon by the enemy on the shores of Normandy. He took his training on the USS New Jersey.

He was born June 17, 1925 and died June 28, 2007.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Constance Teresa Janowski MA.,RN
- 1989-indefinite
- Army, Captain
- Picatinny Arsenal, Fort Dix, Texas
Constance Teresa Janowski is a nurse who has served in Picatinny Arsenal and Fort Dix, Texas.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Silvio S. Matarazzo
- 1942-1945
- US Army
- Italy
Silvio 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Edwin Lamberski
- 9/26/61 - 5/12/65
- US Air Force
- RAF Crouton England
Ed joined the US Air Force in Sept. 1961.

He 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Petty Officer Jason C. Wolff
- 7/2007 - Present
- US Navy
- Iraq: Okinawa, Japan,
Jason graduated Hopatcong High School in June, 2007.

In July, 2007, he entered the service as a US 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Kenneth M. Trumpore
- 1960-1966
- United States Coast Guard
- Cape May NJ; Yorktown VA;
  Groton,CT, RI

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- William E. Mattoon
- 1942 - 1945
- Army Air Corp
- Grafton Underwood, England
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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Staff Sergeant Robert Watson
- 1942 - 1945
- United States Air Force
- Heathrow, England
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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Arthur Bonda
- Jan 1942 - Jan. 1945
- Corp. 82nd Airborne Paratrooper
- Served in Germany

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Specialist Kristen M. Burns
- April 25, 2006 -
- United States Army National Guard
- 508th MP Company, Teaneck, N

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Sergeant Ryan P. Burns
- Nov. 2003 - April 2009
- United States Marine Corp Reserves
- Okinawa, Japan; Camp Fallujah, Iraq
Sergeant Ryan 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Michael N. Petillo
- Served from 1941-1945
- Sergeant in the US Army
- Italy
Michael 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Robert Modick
- 1952 - 1956
- United States Navy
- USS Antietam (aircraft carrier); Cuba
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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Kenneth Murison
- Served from 1943-1946
- US Navy-Lieut. J. Grade
- Philippines
Ken witnessed the obliteration caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- William H. Bartley
- 1941 - 1945
- United States Navy
- Stationed in Italy, North Africa,
  France, the Pacific
William 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 Dec. 22, 1945.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Thomas P. Scardino
- 4/12/1943 to 12/8/1945
- United States Army, Private
- Fort Dix, France and Germany
Thomas 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Samuel Bochner
- 1942 - 11/8/1945
- United States Navy
- U.S.S. Denver, CL58 - The Pacific
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. Sam was the father of Ida Bochner-Brown of Hopatcong and Morris Bochner of R.I.
Sam died 3/26/2001.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Donald Joseph Tyska
- 1965-1967
- United States Army MP-PFC
- Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam
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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Forrest (Jim) Sutton
- July 23, 1956 - July 23, 1960
- US Air Force
- Savannah GA and Plattsburg, NY

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Robert B. Klein
- Served from 1944-1946
- US Army, PFC
- Europe
Robert 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Robert Wayne Orr
- May 9, 1942 - January 4, 1946
- United States Army Corps
- England and France
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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Lt. William T. Orr
- 1974 - 1987
- Naval Reserve
- Military Sealift Command

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Robert G. Daddis
- Sept. 1960 - Sept. 1964
- US Air Force
- Vietnam
Robert G. Daddis was an Airman 1st Class in the US 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Gregory A. Daddis
- 1989-Present
- US Army
- Currently West Point
Gregory A. Daddis is a full Colonel. He 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Richard James Bond
- 2007 - Still Serving
- NJ National Guard
- Hackettstown,NJ
Richard joined the NJ National Guard while still in high school. After graduation he took basic training in Georgia and step ped-up training in Texas. He was flown to Kuwait and then deployed to Iraq for one year. In early 2011 he will be deployed to Afghanistan.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Alan T. Anderson
- 1964 - 1968
- US Navy
- Vietnam and Africa
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. He 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Gary M. Huff
- 2003 - Present
- US Marine Reserve
- Iraq for a year

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- PFC Michael Wester
- February 2009 - Present
- US Army
- Iraq
Michael is currently deployed to Iraq. His duty station is Fort Stewart, Ga.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Sergeant John L. Cook, III
- December 2006 - Present
- United States Marine Corps
- Florida, England, CA, Afghanistan
John is a graduate of HHS Class of 2006. He enlisted in the USMC in December of 2006. After bootcamp 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Samuel C. Hoagland
- 1958 - 1960
- United States Air Force
- France , Germany, Italy
Sam served on project “Black Witch” in Taranto, Italy and was promoted to captain in AFRES June 64

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Sergeant Bruce N. Genung
- 1979 - 1982, 1985 - 2006
- US Army, US Army Reserves
- Kuwait
Bruce N. Genung is a Sergeant First Class in the position of Drill Sergeant. He served in Kuwait in 2005 where the photograph was taken.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Leonard G. Katchmaric
- Aug. 1954 - Feb. 1958
- Navy RM3
- Korea
Leonard G. Katchmaric served as a Radioman III (RM3) 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.

Name
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Service Location
- Kenneth Aimone
- 1993 - Present
- Air Force
- Presently in Afghanistan
Ken is a Technical Sergeant and has served in the US AF for 17 years. He was married on 6/6/09, 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 1 tour in Turkey and UAE.