By Amy Filippone, Dept. of Parks & Recreation
There have been recent improvements to the memorial markers for four Vietnam veterans at Memorial Park. Each of the veterans played at the Memorial Field baseball fields off Church Street as young boys. They were graduates of Moorestown High School, classes of 1964 and 1965 and were killed in action during the Vietnam War between 1966 and 1968.
The markers have been cleaned, repositioned and raised with a border and plantings to make them more visible and prominent. They are located behind the home plate backstops at the lower baseball fields, where these young men played the great American pastime. New signage is being designed and will be installed soon. Each field will be named after these men to honor the ultimate sacrifice they made for our country.
In addition to the markers and new signage, the edges of the park that border the baseball fields were also recently cleaned up. Downed branches and weeds were cut back, and several old piles of infield mix were relocated. The Department of Parks & Recreation would like to thank the following organizations/individuals who have provided donations in support of the above mentioned improvements: William H. Snyder Post 42; Moorestown Soccer Club; Thomas W. Plut; Janet H. Knowles, Historical Society of Moorestown, Moorestown Youth Baseball Federation, The Petriello Family and Mayor Nicole Gillespie.
Each field will be named after these men to honor the ultimate sacrifice they made for our country.
Corporal Howard Hercher Mayer, 5th Infantry Division, served as an indirect fire infantryman. He graduated from Moorestown High School in 1965 where he was a basketball and baseball star. He was selected for the All Burlington County basketball team and set the county scoring record at the time of 34 points. He was a two-year varsity high school pitcher and also pitched for Palmyra in the Riverfront League with a 9–0 record. Mayer was deployed in July of 1968 and was killed in combat on December 3, 1968 in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. He was 21 years old. Mayer was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Private First Class George Salvatore Yohnnson was in the 101 Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion, 327 Infantry, C Company. He was an infantry direct fire crewman. Yohannson graduated from Mooretown High School in 1965, was deployed in May of 1966 and was killed in combat in Quang Tri Province on July 12, 1966. He was 19 years old. He received 10 service commendations including a Purple Heart.
Warrant Officer Roger Alan Ross was a helicopter pilot in the 92nd Assault Helicopter Company, 10th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade. He graduated from Moorestown HS in 1964 and attended Drexel Institute of Technology until 1967 when he dropped out to enlist. Ross was deployed to Tuyen Duc Province on December 13, 1968 and died less than two weeks later on December 24, 1968 when he and seven other soliders perished when their helicopter was shot down. He was 22 years old.
Petty Officer Walter Phillip Seel, Jr. was a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy with the Golf Battery 3/12–12th Marines-3rd Marine Division. He graduated from Moorestown High School in 1966. Seel was deployed in late September 1968 and was killed at the Fire Support Base Neville in Quang Tri Province on February 25, 1969. He was 22 years old. Seel was awarded the Silver Star and Seel Hall at the Philadelphia Naval Base was named in his honor.
Please contact Parks & Recreation if you would like to make a donation at (856)914–3093 or email Theresa Miller at tmiller@moorestown.nj.us.
