Ceremony celebrated the addition of 16 names to its Wall of Honor last week
Last week was the fifth annual induction ceremony for the Voorhees Veterans Wall of Honor, a yearly tradition at the Voorhees Town Center for any veteran who has served and has a connection to Voorhees.
The Wall of Honor welcomed an inaugural 234 Voorhees veterans in its first year and has seen its number of applicants grow smaller every year, allowing for a more intimate and personal night for veterans being honored.
Last week, the 2018 ceremony saw 16 members be enshrined on the wall for their service in any branch and for any job they performed while serving.
Jeanette Schelberg, the former township clerk for Voorhees, retired in 2014 and was approached by Mayor Michael Mignogna about setting up something to honor veterans after a resident asked why the township didn’t have anything in place.
Schelberg is a veteran herself, as was her brother, who is on the wall as Missing In Action. Each year since he was announced as Missing In Action after going to Korea, she has tried to do something in her brother’s name.
Now every year over the past five years, Schelberg has assembled veterans and Voorhees representatives to pay their respects to those, alive and deceased, who have served their country and in some way are connected to Voorhees Township.
Donations pay for the wall.
“I think this is really important because it’s really unique,” said Schelberg. “Most of the time when you look at war memorials or war monuments, the most you might see is a name. If you don’t know that person, there’s nothing to put with that name.”
However, each plaque that is placed when a veteran is welcomed into the Wall of Honor comes complete with a photo and details on where and when they served, along with a personal message or story, if they would like to include one.
“It is a much more personal thing,” said Schelberg.
The 16 individuals who were honored on the Voorhees Veterans Wall of Honor last week include Thomas M. Bacchus Jr., Anthony Innamorato, Murillo Mangubat, Christian Stark, Charles (Butch) Taylor and Paul Yerys who all served with the United States Air Force.
Those with the United States Army include Daniel Dwier, Angelo Grasso, John P. McBride and David Patton. Lastly, those who had served with the United States Navy include Robert David Gratz, John Holzer, John Kishbaugh, Lisa Taylor McManus, Timothy Miloshevsky and Daniel Joseph Pisko.
Anyone interested in finding out how they can be placed on the wall or nominate a friend or family member can contact Jeanette Schelberg at (609) 868–6338 or email jschelberg@voorheesnj.com.
