WWII Vet Awarded 70 Years Later In Morris County

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Seventy years after serving during World War II, veteran John McDermott was finally recognized by the U.S. Army for his services in the Pacific. He, along with seven others, were also awarded the Morris County Distinguished Service Medal (a full list of honorees is below).

McDermott, of Denville, was given his World War II Victory Medal and Army of Occupation - Japan medal in Morris County's annual Memorial Day ceremony. The medal was presented to him by fellow World War II veteran Hjalmar Johansson, an Air Force veteran and former German prisoner of war.

Although long eligible for the medal, Morris County officials believed a "bureaucratic snafu" delayed the presentation. McDermott's daughter contacted the Morris County Veteran's Office last year to begin the process again.

The Morris County Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to veterans in the county, and each medal is specific to the war the veteran fought in. Those recognized in this year's ceremony were:

• George Briscoe, Budd Lake, U.S. Navy. 2001-2004
• Loris Clarke, Kenvil, U.S. Army, 1992-95
• Louis Bodian, Morristown, U.S. Army, 1969-71
• Eugene Lemoncelli, Dover, U.S. Marine Corps, 1954-57
• Kenneth Gorman, Mount Hope, U.S. Air Force, 1965-71
• Christopher Orr, Wharton, U.S. Army, 1974-89
• Paul Vico, Morris Plains, U.S. Army, 1969-70
• John McDermott, Denville, U.S. Army, 1946-47

“We in Morris County honor those Americans who have served in the armed forces and honor those Americans who have given their lives while serving,’’ Freeholder Director Doug Cabana said at today’s event. “President Harry Truman once said, ‘our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.’"

Johansson, a fellow World War II veteran, was the event's keynote speaker. According to the county:

During World War II Hjalmar Johansson was assigned to a heavy bomber crew of B-24s, as a nose gunner, with the 15th Air Force, 461st Bomb Group, Squadron 767. In December 1944, during a mission to take out a refinery in Poland, his plane encountered German fighter planes, engaged in battle, was badly damaged, and eventually crashed in Austria.

He was able to bail out. However, while some of his crew were saved by Romanian partisans, he was captured by the German Army and became a prisoner of war for six months, until liberated by the Soviet Army.

His story is chronicled in a History Channel in a video entitled “A Leap of Faith."

Image 1 L-R: John McDermott and Hjalmar Johansson. All images via Morris County.

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