Detective' Uncovers Another Hero in His Search for the Defenders of Liberty
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FHEE PUBLIC LIBRARY 117$ ST. GEORGE AVE. 8ASIAT, H«J« O7Q&5 RAHWAY Afew Jersey's Oldest Weekly Newspaper-Established 1822 VOL. 161 NO. 42 RAHWAY NEW JERSEY, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1983 USPS 454-160 20 CENTS Rah way's 'detective' uncovers another hero in his search for the defenders of liberty by R. R. Faszczewski Day every year never wav- been replaced by a two-tier, Navy Air Medals and serv- ton, which borders Union. burial ledgers from the first Despite all the mystery finally awarded post- It was not until the late Thanks to a man many in ed in the breeze near the site granite Medal of Honor ed in concert with Marine Through^ further resea- few post-World War I surrounding Sgt. Stockham humously 21 years after 1930s that Barrett Matting. the Rahway and Union where Fred William Stock- headstone which reads, units in Saipan and Tinian. rch, the Rahway "detec years. he was no mystery to the that night of horror and ly. the young Marine who County area know as a re- ham was buried-cven "FRED WILLIAM STOCKHAM, His younger brother, James tive" learned Sgt. Stock They discovered Fred men of the 96th Company heroism at Belleau Wood. Sgt. Stockham had saved, lentless investigator and though he was a World War MEDAL OF HONOR, GY SGT US Angelo, who died at 57 last ham's foster mother, Mrs. William Stockham had been of the Second Battalion of During one of the most and some of the few sur- super patriot one of our na- I Marine Corps Medal of MARINE CORPS, WORLD WAR October, had been a cor- Sophie Heinz, had lived in buried without ceremony the Sixth Marines. horrendous gas attacks by vivors of the 96th Company tion's unsung heroes now Honor hero. I, MAR 16 1881 JUN 22 poral with the Fourth Irvington and Fred Stock- on Jan. 3, 1921 in an un- They knew he was a good the Germans during the realized Congress had clos- has a proper final resting Gunnery Sgt. Stockham 1918." Marines in World War II. ham had spent time there as marked grave in a small plot Marine, a good non-com- War Sgt. Stockham had ed the books on awards for place. was an orphan, a man with- The search for the Paul Angelo had pre- a child and between owned by his foster mother, missioned officer, one of the tried to calm his men, many World War 1 heroism and Railway's Paul Angelo is out a family and one of the Stockham grave caused Mr. viously located the graves enlistments in the Marine who died in 1943. old breed drawn from ships' of whom were confused and had never officially award- the supervisor of the Union Marines' least-known Angelo countless hours of of two Civil War Medal of Corps. In searching for the guards and shore stations wounded, and restore order ed the Medal of Honor to County Office of Veterans Medal of Honor winners. wandering through ceme- Honor winners, Lts. Wil- On several visits to the Marine hero's unmarked around the world to lead and discipline. He led the Sgt. Stockham. Affairs and registrar of He gave his life so a young teries, examining grave- liam Brant and Rufus King, Hollywood Cemetery be- grave Mr. Angelo devel- young recruits to war. So evacuation of wounded and With the help of Gen. veterans' graves in Eliza- Marine private might sur- stones, reading faded, yel- Jr.. buried in a cemetery on- fore this Mr. Angelo had oped almost a personal rela- did their company comman- gassed Marines. Cates and affidavits from beth. vive the Battle of Belleau lowed pages of brittle, dust- ly a few miles from Sgt. kept coming up with the tionship with a man who der, a young second lieu- As German artillery con- several members of the His patriotic labor of love Wood in 1918. He had been covered cemetery records, Stockham's grave. name Stockman in ceme- died in battle 65 years ago. tenant who would become tinued to pound and sweep company a special act of is locating and recording recommended for the medal writing letters, asking ques- However, the search for tery records-and this had From the vague bits and the commandant of the Belleau Wood he continual- Congress was passed on the graves of all veterans but the citation had been tions and making telephone the World War I Marine given him the clue he was pieces of information he Marine Corps from 1948 to ly exposed himself to the in- Dec. 21. 1939 to award the buried in Union County's lost in the confusion of war, calls to Marine Corps or- hero's grave was a greater getting closer to "solving" could find about Sgt. Stock- 1951, Clifton B. Catcs. tense bombardment, lead- medal. 39 cemeteries, seeing they and it was not until 1939 ganizations, Veterans Ad- mystery. the mystery. ham he came to know him According to Mr. An- ing or carrying wounded On Sept. 28. 1980 the are all properly marked and the nation's highest military ministration contacts and The city man began sear- The name Stockman he almost as a friend. gelo, it was Lt. Cates who Marines to a dressing sta- final tribute was paid to Sgt. decorated for Memorial and decoration was awarded to the National Medal of ching for the Stockham had seen in cemetery re- recommended Sgt. Stock- tion, returning to the havoc Stockham at his newly-dis- Veteran's Day and that the unsung hero. Honor Historical Society. grave in 1976. It was not cords was either a typo- According to the Rah- ham for the Medal of to help get other wounded covered gravesite in Union. they have a veteran's head- However, thanks to the The 60-year-old Railway until 1979 that he finally graphical error or a name wayan, his search revealed Honor, "for conspicuous men out of danger. More than 300 persons at- stone. brilliant detective work of native served in World War found it. misread because the print Mr. Stockham had had a gallantry and intrepidity He even gave his own gas tended the dedication of the One such grave is located Mr. Angelo, which lasted II as an aviation radioman A Veteran's Administra- was old and faded and the pretty rough childhood. He above and beyond the call mask to a young, wounded Medal of Honor headstone. in the Hollywood Cemetery almost four years, no longer first class aboard the car- tion friend, Ray Collins, paper on which it was writ- had no real family and mov- of duty in action with the Marine whose own had All of this recognition for in Union. For almost 60 is the grave of Sgt. Stock- riers, Bataan and Cowpens, telephoned with the first ten was creased and wrink- ed around alot. When he enemy in Bois-dc-Belleau, been torn from his face by a Sgt. Stockham and manv years it was unmarked, ham unknown and unmark- and with Torpedo Squad- thread of information: Sgt. led. joined the Marines the France, on the night of shell fragment, and led the other unsung heroes was unknown and forgotten. ed. ron No. 50 as a senior air Stockham's body had been Mr. Angelo and Mrs. corps became his home and June 13-14, 1918." fighter to safety, risking his the result of years of hard The miniature American The nameless stone crewman. brought back from France Joan Merkler,, \bc comp- family, and as a sergeant he It was Maj. Gen. Cates own life to the poisonous \vork by one of Rahway's flag pluced on the grave of above his grave at. the •, Theofficftpf veterans' af-. itvI920..ami Uir.npd.ovsr \o • (Jol!erfat thjj^tfi'.ftifcTy,vs&rs rb b w-iri m l939^iS(>nejl.v"V; '•' IU;S...iJI the }M'<Kd,<. true unsuny heroes. Paul every veteran for Memorial Hollywood Cemetery has fairs supervisor won three a funeral home in Irving- ched through- Hollywood's he was older than his men. the Medal of Honor was However, by saving the Angelo. the Navy veteran youngster Sgt. Stockham who searched for and found sacrificed his own life. He the unmarked grave of the died from the effects of the orphan who became a mustard gas in a field hos- Marine Medal of Honor Councilmen swamped by Green Field pital on June 22, 1918. winner. by R. R. Faszczewski Robinson's Branch of the Second Ward Council- and the area should be left the reference to full-com- the 1983 Shore Protection much belter spent on edu- When is a reservoir a re- Rahway River. man John Marsh said in its natural state-the re- pensatory facilities, chang- Bond Act on the Tuesday, cation. Hall of Fame servoir? ' According to Democratic Green Field was a "swamp" cognized criteria for runoff. ed another portion -to say Nov. 8, ballot, received only Several ordinances on in- City firemen changes That seemed_ to._ be- the - Councilman-at-Lflrge James in the^nter, the: city Had" 'First Ward Councilman the Council was "also" sen- the support of Councilmen creasing parking penalties, major question confronting Cadigan this provision was, done little to get help on im- Lawrence Bodine said the sitive to, flooding problems Fulcomer and Bodine. which were up for adoption offer stickers schedule City Councilmen on Oct. 11 in effect, calling for the con- proving the athletic facility city would get nothing in the Green Field area, Councilman Cadigan said at the Oct.