Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that plans are under way to establish a permanent, outdoor memorial to Medal of Honor recipients from Union County, at the County Administration complex in midtown Elizabeth. Relatives and friends of the recipients are invited to participate in a dedication ceremony for the memorial, which will be held in October.
“The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor awarded in the United States, and the Union County memorial will pay tribute to these courageous soldiers while raising awareness about their powerful contributions to our nation’s history,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter.
To prepare for the memorial and dedication ceremony, relatives and friends of the recipients, or others with historical information about the recipients, are encouraged to contact the Union County Office of Veterans Affairs and share any stories, information or memorabilia they may have.
The Medal of Honor recipients from Union County are:
- Julian Scott, a Civil War drummer and one of the youngest ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Mr. Scott was also a prominent 19th century artist. His work can be seen at the Drake House Museum in Plainfield.
- Rufus King, an Army Major during the Civil War.
- James Madison Drake, an Army Lieutenant during the Civil War.
- William J. Brant., Jr., an Army Lieutenant during the Civil War.
- John Williams, II, a veteran of the Civil War.
- Theodore F. Smith, an Army private who served in the Indian Wars.
- Alan Louis Eggers, a World War I veteran who served in France.
- Thomas E. O’Shea, a World War I veteran who served in France.
- William Fred Stockham, a World War I veteran who served in France.
- Charles Joseph Watters, a US Army Chaplain who served in Vietnam, where he was killed in action in 1967. He served as a parish priest at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Cranford.
For more information about plans for the memorial, or to share any information or memorabilia about the Medal of Honor recipients, call the Union County Office of Veterans Affairs at 908-659-7407 or contact Elizabeth Sebring, 908-527-4890 or esebring@ucnj.org.
Those wishing to contact the office by mail can send correspondence to the Union County Office of Veterans Affairs, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ 07207.
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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook atwww.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.