Message from Councilman Roc White | November 12, 2021
As a veteran, I am proud of how Scotch Plains embraced Veterans Day. This year, there were numerous ways in which our community joined to salute the many men and women who have given so much to defend our freedom.
Yesterday, it was a privilege to participate in so many events, while representatives of Scotch Plains drove to the Vietnam War Memorial in Holmdel to accept an award from Gov. Phil Murphy, honoring the special way in which we honor our veterans.
I would like to take a moment to highlight some of the events that have taken place in Scotch Plains to mark Veterans Day.
Township officials joined the family of Sgt. John Barich on Hunter Avenue to unveil a “topper” on the street sign at East Second Street. Sgt. Barich was one of the heroes from Scotch Plains that we lost during World War II, and this dedication was certainly a long time coming.
We also joined the school board and other members of the Scotch Plains and Fanwood communities to mark the name change of Park Middle School. It is now named the Malcolm E. Nettingham Middle School in honor of the late Tuskegee Airman who lived in Scotch Plains for his entire life. He died last September at age 101, a national hero.
In addition, we had the opportunity to express our appreciation to other veterans during a ceremony at our war memorial, located at Park Avenue and Front Street. We then joined our friends in Fanwood, where there was an event at the Fanwood Memorial Library. Veterans from both towns met for lunch at the American Legion Post 209.
Allow me to touch again on the state award that Scotch Plains received yesterday. It is called the “We Value Our Veterans” Award, given to municipalities that earn 145 points in various criteria to honor their local veterans.
For Scotch Plains, it was an easy task. We continually and aggressively look for ways to honor veterans, so the criteria were simple to achieve. For example, we received points for honoring veterans at public meetings and events, holding our Memorial Day and Veterans Day events, as well as providing continual resources to help our veterans as much as possible.
As we move forward from Veterans Day, Scotch Plains remains committed to recognizing our men and women in uniform, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. May their patriotism and sacrifice always be honored.
