Message from Councilman Roshan M. White | 4/16/21
Every day, we take one step closer to losing the World War II generation, as so many of the courageous men and women who fought and secured this enormous global victory are now in their late 80s and 90s.
It is difficult to recognize that we will soon lose the memories of World War II through the eyes of the people who experienced it. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, only 352,574 of the 16 million people who served in the war were alive last year.
That national number is expected to drop to 50,000 veterans by 2025, and next to zero within a decade. In New Jersey, there is an estimated 9,000 World War II veterans now living within our 565 municipalities.
Honoring the tremendous sacrifice of our remaining heroes from the “Greatest Generation” must be paramount in Scotch Plains. It is why we are launching our latest effort to collect the names of residents who served during the World War.
As we look to mark another Memorial Day, we want this national holiday to be as meaningful as possible for these brave enlisted men and women, as well as to serve as an educational tool for our youngest residents who still have the gift of World War II veterans living perhaps on their streets or within their neighborhoods.
While Scotch Plains cannot have its annual parade again this year because of the lingering pandemic, I ask the entire community for help. Please let us know if you have the name of a World War II veteran living in town. We keep an ongoing list at town hall, but I can only surmise that there are names were are missing.
There is no time to lose, as each and every Scotch Plains resident who served should be continually recognized for his or her valiant defense of our principles of freedom. Please, if you know of a veteran living here or in Fanwood, I ask that you reach out to Bob LaCosta at
Thank you.