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Community Corner

Telling the Stories of War

Three Veterans share their experiences of their time spent in the Pacific during WWII and during the Vietnam Era

The Ocean County Historical Society in downtown Toms River, hosted Proud Patriots, an event where three N.J. veterans shared their experiences in the Pacific during World War II, and in the Vietnam War. 

Veterans Barry Rosenzwig, 68, of Freehold, Doug Foulks, 88, of Kingsburg, and Paul Frisco, 86, of Middletown all shared their experiences on June 2nd.

The Proud Patriots program and the veterans are associated with the Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution from Brookdale Community College. The program strives in educating people of all ages to remember the lessons learned from past wars.

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Rosenzwig, who was in the military during the Vietnam Era, began the event by telling the story of his father, Jerome Bass, who was lost on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, during the invasion of the Normandy beaches.  

“I stand here as one voice,” Rosenzwig stated. “Not just for my father but for the many who were lost.”

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Rosenzwig believes that the legacy of being a veteran is to “not only remember but tell the stories of the men that were lost because they are the true heroes and giants.”

Foulks continued the Proud Patriots program as he spoke about his time in the Navy during World War II in which he served on the smallest vessel in the Navy. The vessel called the Landing Craft Infantry or LCIs were utilized to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches during the World War II period.

Foulks spoke about the memories, good and bad, that he encountered during his time served. The best times he enjoyed were those spent with his crew mates from the very beginning of leaving Maryland to get his vessel in Oregon, to the very end of the War when he finally went back home.

However, he also mentions his sad time spent in which he lost friends during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, a naval battle fought in the waters near the Philippine Islands, and which is considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II. He also mentioned the sad time of the passing of his mother at home in which he did not find out until a month later because of the poor communication throughout the war between the soldiers serving and the families at home.

“War was the number 1 priority,” Foulks said. “It was a lot of fun but there was also a lot of tough excitement.”

Foulks high school friend Frisco then spoke of his time spent during World War II on the USS Cushing in the Pacific. Frisco mainly spoke of the time the world was happy when Japan wanted a peace settlement. He stated that among him and the other men he served with, peace was hard to grasp because of all the men that were lost and who went down with their ship. Their only thought was that of exhaustion because every man did everything he could.

“They are deep in the sea, no monument, and no headstone to see where they fell,” Frisco said. “Their only monument is the memory and honor of the one’s who survived and served with them.”

Although all three Veterans had different stories, the common theme among them was easy to see. They wanted to remember the ones who were lost and to simply say thank you to the ones who have served.

Besty Dudas, of Toms River, a volunteer at the Ocean County Historical Society believes that these events are important to have.

“We need to keep honoring all our Veterans,” Dudas said. “And we need to continue educating the public.”

For a list of upcoming events at the Ocean County Historical Society, you can visit their website at www.oceancountyhistory.org or call them at 732 341-1880.

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