Friday, April 11, 2003
BY CATHY BUGMAN
Star-Ledger Staff
A Bridgewater native who is now a commanding officer of his Marine unit in the Middle East will be portrayed.
So will a 23-year-old Army man based at Fort Benning, Ga., and a Somerset County sheriff’s officer who is a Marine sergeant in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Those are just three of the servicemen and women whose faces will grace a new “Wall of Honor” to be unveiled this morning in the lobby of the Somerset County administration building.
The four-sided display area is the brainchild of Freeholder Robert Zaborowski. “The reason I came up with the idea is because I see it as a way to remember the people who are serving us,” he said. “It’s a way to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.”
Zaborowski, whose son Eric is in training and does not know yet whether he’ll be deployed overseas, will post the first photograph.
Residents and county employees with family members in the service are invited to attend the unveiling ceremony at 11:30 this morning and mount photos.
Marine Lt. Col. Jerome Lynes, who grew up in Bridgewater and now serves as a career officer leading the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, will be pictured on the wall.
“It just seemed to me to be the right thing to do,” said his father- in-law, Mark Roskein who’s an investigator with the county health department. He said he’s proud of Lynes, who won the Bronze Star last summer for his achievements in combat in Afghanistan.
The wife of Marine Sgt. William Loften of Hillsborough, a sheriff’s officer who flew into Kuwait last week, is expected to attend the ceremony as well, said county Sheriff Frank Provanzano.
Zaborowski said he hopes to contact the wife of Franklin Councilman Anthony Mazzola, a major in the Air Force Reserve, who was called to active duty in late February, about posting his photo as well.
County residents may mail, drop off or e-mail photos of relatives who are currently in any branch of the military — on active duty, in the reserves or National Guard or at any of the service academies. Maximum size for print photos is 5-by-7 inches.
Photos should be mailed to the Somerset County Public Information Office, Attn: Wall of Honor, P.O. Box 3000, Somerville, N.J. 08876-1262. Include the service person’s name, rank and unit. Digital photos may be e-mailed to publicinfo@co.somerset.nj.us; type the words “Wall of Honor” in the subject line. Print photos cannot be returned, so contributors are asked not to send originals.
