Joe Nagy, Edward Miller and the late Alan Ebersole will be honored as the 2017 Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshals.
Memorial Day is a signature holiday in Fanwood and this year is no exception, as the borough will honor our fallen heroes with a concert, parade and solemn observances.
In collaboration with Scotch Plains, the Memorial Day concert will begin the festivities with an evening patriotic music on Sunday, May 28. On Monday, May 29, Fanwood will hold its official Memorial Day observance at 9 a.m. at the war memorial in front of the Fanwood Memorial Library. The Mayor, members of Borough Council, other local dignitaries and veterans will be in attendance as Fanwood remembers its fallen soldiers with the laying of wreaths. All residents are invited to attend. The Annual Memorial Day Parade will step off at 10:45 a.m. in downtown Scotch Plains and will make its way south on Park and Martine Avenues into Fanwood, ending at Martine and LaGrande Avenues. Later that day, the festivities will continue with a performance by the Westfield Community Band at Augustine Park on Park Avenue, beginning around 6 p.m. This concert features readings and remembrances by war veterans and their families.
This year’s Grand Marshals are all World War II veterans and Fanwood residents. Joe Nagy, Ed Miller and Alan Ebersole each served in their respective military branches stationed all over the world during World War II, including the Philippines, Japan, Midway and the Aleutian Islands. These men will be this year’s highlight of the Memorial Day parade; Ebersole will posthumously be honored as the third Grand Marshal.
Joe Nagy, a long-time resident of Fanwood and Fanwood historian, served in the Army during his time in the Military. He was stationed all over the country, moving from Fort Dix, to Texas and onto South Carolina before heading overseas. After being drafted into the Army in 1943, he spent time working in the 647th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Nagy’s unit in South Carolina dismantled in 1944 and he then was relocated to Mississippi.
Nagy was sent into the Pacific to join the forces in 1945, only weeks before the first atomic bomb was dropped in Japan. Nagy’s unit then had a strong purpose to bring peace and tranquility to Japan. “Japan was badly devastated. Tokyo was almost nothing,” said Nagy. “You really recognized the futility of war in that moment.” After he returned home to the United States, Nagy stayed in the reserves for 23 years before retiring as a major in 1965.
Ed Miller was drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1943 and quickly became a part of the 6th Aircraft repair unit in Texas. He worked with civilians and servicemen in one of the largest repair stations of the Army to fix radar repair machines. In 1944, Miller was stationed on a small island in the Philippines to serve the American forces against Japan during World War II. He was assigned to the floating Air Depot of the Pacific in order to combat Japanese aggression in the South China Sea. His ship had one of the first helicopters for use. He was in Manila when the war ended.
“We were there to support the invasion of Japan. That was our one and only focus and goal,” Miller said. Upon his return home following victory, Miller moved to Fanwood. He successfully earned his degree in math and science from Jersey City State College. He has since lived in Fanwood for over 59 years.
Alan Ebersole, former Fanwood Recycling Center director and long-time resident of Fanwood, was to be honored as the third Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Ebersole passed away in his home a few weeks ago. He will posthumously be honored as a Grand Marshal and was proud to be a Fanwood resident, saying “I would do anything for this town, I raised my family here”. Ebersole’s father was a World War I veteran, so it was an easy decision when it came to enlisting. Ebersole was proudly wearing his Veteran hat during an interview before his passing, saying “I notice when I wear my hat that people I have never seen before will come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for your service’ It means a lot,”.
Ebersole served in the Army Air Corps, enlisting in 1942 and rising to the rank of Squadron Sergeant. In the spring of 1943, he was sent to Japan, served in Midway, and fought in the Aleutian Islands. “We beat (Japan) because we could out-produce them with all elements of war,” Ebersole mentions, “What we accomplished was amazing.”
In early 1946, Ebersole was discharged and returned home to New Jersey. Throughout his time in Fanwood, he remained active through his community involvement, even after his retirement. Ebersole was a volunteer with the Flintlocks, a group of veterans who worked with Boy Scouts in the area, as to which he was a member for more than 80 years. Ebersole also helped establish and operate the Fanwood Recycling Center for more than 30 years until its closure in 2016.
