In Memory of Wyckoff's 'Courageous Veterans'

Wyckoff offered tribute to the residents who paid the ultimate price in service to the country at a solemn service this morning.

Community leaders, elected officials, representatives of various township organizations and residents came together at Wyckoff Reformed Church to "gather to remember those veterans who gave their all," said Frank Arone, who gave the Memorial Day address.

"We remember the families of our troops," said the Rev. George Hanssen, the pastor of Advent Lutheran Church, who delivered the opening invocation. "Cover them (troops) with your sheltering grace and presence... may they trust in your mighty power," he prayed.

The service in the shadow of the church's cemetery was marked by the placement of floral wreaths around the township's War Memorial, offered by various township groups and businesses, from the Boy Scouts to the Historical Society. Each represented a particular group's tribute to the local men who died while defending our nation, from World War I to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mayor Rudy Boonstra personally recalled three men who "left our wonderful town... to defend our freedom." William A. Mills, who "was like a brother" to many in the Sicomac area of the township, was killed in Europe during the Battle of the Bulge. Boonstra's father, a veteran, hung Mills' photo in the family's home for decades, the mayor said. He remembered Robert Vennik, a classmate at Ramapo High School, who was "always a tough kid." Vennik would serve and die in Vietnam, and his body was never recovered. Finally, Boonstra eulogized James L. Giegel, another township native who lost his life while in Vietnam.

Boonstra also joined Hank Douma, the commander of VFW Post 7086, in honoring Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal Harold D. Snyder, who served in the Pacific theater during World War II. Snyder, a Wyckoff native, joined the service on standby-reserve when he was just 17 and completed basic training at 18. Initially assigned to an administrative support role, Snyder pressed for service in a combat unit. He headed overseas in the last days of 1943 and would fly missions against enemy positions in the Pacific theater until he returned home as a staff sergeant almost exactly two years later.

Snyder is a decorated veteran, having received the Air Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Phillippine Liberation Medal and the Philippine Presidentail Unit Citation Ribbon. 

Arone, the owner of Kids Stuff in Wyckoff, reminded all on this "day of remembrance" that you must "give love and you have to get love for your own well-being.

"These courageous veterans gave us our freedom," said Arone, who served in the Marines from 1967 to 1970.

The groups collected around the church as well as the teeming crowds along the parade route later in the morning perhaps offered proof that the troops "live on in the hearts and minds of their families" and friends, in the words of Charles F. Ryan, past commander of the VFW Post 7086, who served as master of ceremonies.

The following Wyckoff men lost their lives while serving overseas:

World War I: Zachary Masker

World War II: Edgar O. Anthony, Alfred W. Bohny, A. Sidney Booth, Orin F. Crankshaw, Frank Hopper Jr., William J. Kelly, Arnold A. Krysch, Robert Logan, Glenn Loucks, William A. Mills, C. William Schlenz, Edward R. Snyder, William Van Blarcom Jr., Roland Van Syckel, Theodore K. Wisch and Edward Woodbury.

Korean conflict: Edward T. Cully, John M. Paine, Everett Patton Jr. and William R. Ullmann.

Vietnam: James L. Giegel, John A. Griner, Robert H. Vennik and Joseph C. Wiltsie.

The following Bergen County men lost their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan:

Kyle A. Griffin, Frank T. Carvill, Min Soo Choi, Matthew J. Fenton, Michael A. Schwarz, Vincenzo Romeo, Eric J. Hernandez, Christopher Hrbek and Michael Jankiewicz.