Vietnam Veteran, Killed In Action, Now Named On Holmdel Memorial

HOLMDEL, NJ — When state Veterans Day services take place Saturday at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, among those honored will be a veteran whose legacy has finally found a home there.

The service, as is traditional, is at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, at 1 Memorial Lane in Holmdel.

It is the official state ceremony, and will be attended by many dignitaries, including Acting Governor Tahesha L. Way, a spokesperson said.

And recently, in a rare event, another veteran's name was added to the memorial after a clerical error assigned the incorrect state to the veteran.

Vietnam Veteran Petty Officer Third Class James E. Gosselin, killed in action in 1968, became the 1,564th veteran to have his name inscribed on the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall.

Gosselin's is the second name to be added to the memorial since its creation in 1995, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation says.

Gosselin served with the Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. During the Vietnam War, he was killed in action on Feb. 2, 1968.

He had been recorded as being from another state. However, “Big Jim,” as his friends called him in high school, was born and raised in Pleasantville in New Jersey, and as such deserved to have his place of honor at the memorial.

“We are thrilled to pay proper tribute to the memory and service of Petty Officer Third Class James E. Gosselin, who heroically gave his life for our country in the Vietnam War and was previously not recognized as a New Jersey servicemember,” said Amy Osborn, Chief Executive Officer for the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation, at a ceremony last month.

She said that honoring the lives of Vietnam Veterans and preserving history for generations to come is the mission of the foundation.

"That means ensuring every single veteran from New Jersey is remembered on our Memorial Wall," she said.

She thanked Gosselin's "Pleasantville friends and classmates, who worked tirelessly to make sure Big Jim’s contributions to our country will forever be included in New Jersey’s Vietnam history.”

Fellow former residents of Pleasantville, the Pleasantville High School Marching Band, and the Pleasantville High School Jr. ROTC participated in the ceremony to honor Gosselin’s memory.

The ceremony was also attended by numerous military color guards, New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Rolling Thunder, Miss New Jersey Victoria Mozitis, and state and local officials. Gosselin’s name was etched onto the wall as a donation from Long Branch Monument Company.

Bill Leipold, a former Pleasantville resident, and Vietnam veteran himself, spoke about how the veterans’ community worked together with Pleasantville High School graduates to ensure Gosselin’s name was added to the Memorial Wall.

“My home-town Pleasantville graduates and I set out on a mission to ensure James Gosselin was honored on the Wall for his heroic service in Vietnam, and today that goal has been achieved,” said Leipold. "It means so much to the community of Pleasantville and the Class of 1960 that the name and memory of Officer Gosselin is honored among his 1,564 New Jersey brothers and sister who made the ultimate sacrifice to our country in the Vietnam War.”

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation is committed to sharing the experiences of the Vietnam War Era and its enduring legacy with future generations. Located in Holmdel, the Memorial is open 24 hours a day and seven days week.

The Vietnam Era Museum and Education Center is the first Vietnam war museum of its kind in the United States. Dedicated in September 1998, the Museum provides political, cultural, and historical context for the Memorial. For more information, visit www.njvvmf.org.

About the Veterans Day ceremony

New Jersey’s official Veterans’ Day Ceremony takes place at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel, NJ 07733, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11

Among those in attendance will be: Acting Governor Tahesha L. Way; Amy Osborn, Executive Director, NJVVMF; Major General (Ret.) Clark Martin, NJVVMF Board Chair; Vincent Solomon, Deputy Director of Veterans’ Affairs, New Jersey Division of Military and Veterans Affairs; Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe New York - New Jersey Chapter, 101st Airborne Division Association; Miss New Jersey Victoria Mozitis; Rich McGovern, VVA Chapter 12; Marc Crabtree, Rolling Thunder National; Pat Vellucci, Vietnam Vet, NJVVMF Tour Guide.