Looking back: Memorial Day, 1944

Memorial Day services have been held annually in the Township of West Milford since May 26, 1944. The day, originally referred to as “Armistice Day,” marked the end of World War I and was still known by that name in 1944. The late Louis Wallisch Jr., municipal attorney, introduced the idea of a public showing of support for the men who were in the nation’s military forces risking their lives to protect the nation from enemies in foreign nations. The first Memorial Day observance happened on what was a decisive military day in the buildup to the invasion of Normandy, France. Critical military decisions were being made in Italy and in the Pacific area preparation for invasion of the Philippine Islands was underway.

General Mark Clark made a controversial decision to send the U.S. Fifth Army toward Rome as part of the effort to cut off retreating German forces. Assembly of D-Day assault forces and Allied pre-invasion air raids had already destroyed bridges across the Seine River north of Paris cutting the city off from German reinforcements. Medical Air Evacuation from the Anzio-Nettuno beachhead in Italy was starting. Although television was not yet available, people in West Milford were aware of what was happening. Homes had radios with daily news reports. Many went to movie theaters in Butler and Pompton Lakes weekends to see vivid front-line films. Daily readership of the New York Daily News and New York Mirror was high, with people working in defense plants usually picking up a newspaper on the way to work. The Township of West Milford was still a municipality of small settlements. Most people were familiar with the “local boys” who were fighting in the war areas.

When the first Memorial Day service was held in West Milford, Army Private John Eric Arnold was a soldier fighting in Europe. On Dec. 2, 1944, when his unit was in the Battle of Hartgen Forest, Germany, he was shot and seriously injured. Eric died on Dec. 30, 1944. He was only 25 years old and left his wife and four-year-old son. Walter Benjamin was also killed by an enemy bullet while fighting in Germany. Walter was one of the guys who used to sit on empty soda cases outside Dave Mathews General Store at Echo Lake, talking and having a few beers at the end of a work week and sharing neighborhood topics. Walter, an easy-going single guy who smoked a pipe, was one of the older men drafted into the military.

The current West Milford Municipal Building was not built yet when the first observance of the holiday took place. The building now designated as The West Milford Museum was the West Milford Town Hall. All governing board and other official offices were located there. There was a weekly night court session with Judge T. Harry Cahill presiding. Harry did not have a law degree. He was one of the last non-attorney magistrates in the state before state law required the judge to have one. Harry’s day job was in the office of Bob Nicholson’s propane business in Oak Ridge. The police station was in the balcony of the town hall and Public Works Department trucks and equipment were parked outside.

A large stone pillar memorial with bronze plaques was in front of the building. A platform on vacant property near it was used as a speakers stand for parades. As today, after a brief ceremony, there was a parade and participants ended up at Frank M. Sell Memorial Post 289 building on Lincoln Ave. for refreshments. Some things do remain the same.