4 servicemen who died in Vietnam War honored at Newark cemetery
NEWARK, N.J. — New and restored gravesites of four young servicemen who died during the Vietnam War were unveiled at a Newark cemetery Saturday.
A new plaque at Woodland Cemetery honors Marines Vincent Samson Coles and Leon Earl Bell, alongside Eason Jasper Maxey and Leroy Williams Jr. of the United States Army. All were between 18-23 years old when they died in action.
In addition to the plaque, Bell and Coles' gravestones were renewed, and Maxey and Williams received gravestones for the first time after their gravesites went unmarked for the past 50-plus years.
Woodland Cemetery opened in 1855, and volunteers who have dozens of family members buried there see this as a step towards enhancing the cemetery after years of neglect.
"We're here out of respect to our families and to even people we don't know," said Warren Vincentz, vice president of operations for Woodland Cemetery.
Belleville Historical Society aims to honor fallen Vietnam War servicemembers
"It's just incomprehensible that a young soldier killed in Vietnam didn't have a gravestone," said Mike Perrone, president of the Belleville Historical Society.
Perrone, a mason contractor, has restored nearly 100 veteran gravesites across New Jersey. He said he tried reaching out to the four servicemembers' families about their gravesites with no success, but with some local help, the historical society has been able to learn a little more about them.
"Their history needs to be told," said Vietnam War veteran Sgt. First Class Walter Zjawin.
The historical society's work in ensuring the fallen Vietnam War servicemembers rest with dignity is far from done.
"We're honored to be able to do that because we know how much they sacrificed, what they went through," Perrone said. "They are not forgotten. They will never be forgotten."
Members of the Belleville Historical Society hope to identify and locate the burial sites of all 220 men from Essex County who were killed in action during the Vietnam War by April 2025, which will mark 50 years since the end of the war.
