Veteran’s Gravestone Restored In Belleville On Anniversary Of Death

BELLEVILLE, NJ — In commemoration of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day, the Belleville Historical Society recently produced a short video tribute to 11 young men from Belleville who lost their lives during the war.

“During the past two years we have restored to their original condition the gravestones of seven of these young men from Belleville, as well as those of three young men from Nutley KIA in Vietnam,” said Michael Perrone, president of the Belleville Historical Society.

“On March 26, we restored the stone of Pfc. Joseph DeJessa of Lyndhurst, for whom the Lyndhurst-Nutley bridge is named,” Perrone continued. “Unbeknownst to us, we did not realize until the stone was cleaned and we were able to read the inscription .... we had just restored his stone on the anniversary of his death.”

Watch the video tribute below.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.