Honor Roll Pays Tribute To Fallen Soldiers In West Orange

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange held its annual Memorial Day ceremony at Town Hall earlier this week, paying tribute to fallen soldiers with a special rededication of its “honor roll.”

West Orange’s public information officer and town historian, Joseph Fagan, offered some background on the event, which took place Monday:

“This year marked the rededication of the West Orange Honor Roll at its 80th anniversary. It was originally dedicated at Town Hall on Memorial Day in 1944 with 3000 people in attendance. The Honor Roll lists 3,680 names of West Orange residents who served in all branches of the military during World War II. The added significance of the ceremony was eight wreaths, each representing a decade since its dedication, being presented by surviving family members at the ceremony.”

The ceremony concluded inside Town Hall with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. A plaque that captures the sentiment of the Memorial Day committee in 2024 currently hangs next to the honor roll at Town Hall.

It reads as follows:

“Their dusk is our dawn. The torch has been passed and it must not be extinguished on our watch. Their names stand in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to fight, die, and sacrifice that freedom may live. Let the memory of their names forever echo through this corridor for future West Orange generations to discover.”

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