Midland Park May 23, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 11 Lt. John Hale, a life member of Midland Park/Wyckoff VFW Post 7086 will serve as the grand marshal of this year’s Memorial Day parade. The annual event is scheduled for Saturday, May 26 beginning at 10 a.m. Memorial services will be held at 9 a.m. at the Vietnam Memorial on Dairy Street and at 11 a.m. at Veterans Plaza in Wortendyke. Colonel John Plunkett will be the principal speaker. Lt. Hale is a U.S. Army veteran of two wars, WWII and the Korean Conflict, where he was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart. He was drafted in 1942 out of college and received his basic training in armored at Camp Hood, Texas. After basic training he was shipped to England and became part of the First Army, supporting the 29th Division. On June 10 he landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France as part of the invasion of Europe. He served in five European campaigns. Shortly before the war ended in Europe, he received a battlefield commission, of which he is most proud, becoming a second lieutenant. As a reservist, Hale was called back to service in July 1950. As a member of the 780th Field Artillery Battalion, he trained at Ft. Sill for six months learning all about “Howitzers”. He was then shipped to Korea and promoted to first lieutenant and assigned as a forward observer. He participated in the fighting on “Heartbreak Ridge,” during which time he was wounded and he was awarded the Purple Heart. He has many medals from his years of service, including five European Eastern Campaign medals, the Victory Medal/France and Victory Medal/World War II, and a sharpshooter/rifle award. He returned home in 1953. Lt. Hale and his wife, Anne, have lived in Midland Park since 1968 and have four children. He likes to fish, hunt and garden and considers himself “one of the lucky ones.” Colonel John E. Plunkett, a Midland Park native and Ramapo High School graduate, spent 30 years in the US Army before retiring in 2010. A member of ROTC while a student at the University of Notre Dame, Lieutenant Plunkett was assigned as a platoon leader in Kaiserslautern, Germany after graduation and completing the Signal Offi- Hale to serve as grand marshal; Plunket to be speaker Lt. John Hale will serve as this year’s grand marshal. cer Basic Course at Fort Gordon, GA as an honor graduate. He next served as Battalion Maintenance Officer for the 304th Signal Battalion in KwangJu, KyongiDo, Korea. His next assignment was to Signal Company, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Devens, MA, which he commanded until Signal Company was de-activated in 1989. Captain Plunkett left active service shortly afterwards. While attending Notre Dame Law School, Captain Plunkett served as the Brigade Signal Officer for the 428th Field Artillery Brigade, United States Army Reserve. Upon return to New Jersey Major Plunkett served with the 78th Division at Fort Dix, NJ as a Simulation Systems Trainer instructing and operating computerized staff training and exercise simulations. In 1998 he moved to the 392nd Signal Battalion, West Hazleton, PA to take the positions of S3 (operations), executive officer and was finally selected as the battalion commander. Lieutenant Colonel Plunkett returned to the 78th Division as the executive officer for the Battle Projection Group, 1st Brigade, 78th Division. He served as the assistant chief of staff, G6 (Information Management) for the 78th Division at Edison, NJ after promotion to Colonel. Colonel Plunkett’s awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Component Service Medal with “M” device, the Army Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Reserve Component Overseas Service Ribbon. He holds the Senior Parachutist and Air Assault badges. He is a graduate of the Army’s Combined Arms and Services Staff School and Command and General Staff College. Colonel Plunkett currently resides in Wyckoff with his wife Julia, and sons John, a recent graduate of Notre Dame, and Kevin, 9 years old. The Midland Park High School Band will perform during the service at Veterans Plaza. The solemn occasion will also be marked by the display of essays related to the meaning of Memorial Day written by students in grades K-6 under the auspices of the Midland Park Fire Department. As in previous years, the parade route will run east on Highland Avenue to Vreeland, down Vreeland to Franklin, west on Franklin to Godwin, and northwest on Godwin to Veterans Plaza. Residents are urged to line the parade route and attend the memorial services. (In case of rain, the parade will be cancelled and services will be held at the Witte Drive firehouse at 11 a.m.) The community at large is invited to the firehouse on Witte Drive after the services for hot dogs and soda served by the American Legion Ladies’ Auxiliary.