A day to honor service, remember sacrifice

Peter Van Rixoort never met his father, but all his life he has known just how special his father’s sacrifice for World War II really was.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Chaplain Joe Formola stands at attention during the Vietnam Veterans’ Remembrance Day ceremony held at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel on May 7. Van Rixoort’s father, Staff Sgt. John Van Rixoort, who was a rifleman in the United States Army’s 75th Division, 291st Infantry in Company E, never made it home to meet his newborn son. He was killed in the Battle of the Bulge during the European Theater of Operations of World War II in January 1945.

He had married Peter’s mother in February 1944 and left for war in October of that same year, having originally enlisted in 1942.

“He may or may not have known I was born,” recalled Van Rixoort, who was born Jan. 1, 1945. His father died Jan. 15, 1945. “I have read the letters he sent home tomy mother in early 1945, but he might not have known I was even born yet.”

Van Rixoort, with his wife Riina, accepted the Distinguished ServiceMedal in his father’s honor at the VietnamVeterans’ Memorial ceremony held at the veterans’ memorial at PNC Performing Arts Center in Holmdel on May 7. Ret. Army Col. Stephen Abel, deputy commissioner of the state Department ofMilitary and Veterans Affairs, presented the medal to Van Rixoort.

Raymond Conrad, of Middletown, receives a Distinguished ServiceMedal for his service as a petty officer third class with the U.S. Navy. “It was a very well done ceremony,” Van Rixoort said. “I would have loved to see a fly-over by some of the planes from McGuire, but there were hawks circling above, kind of like the guys who didn’t make it home watching over us.”

May 7 was designated the by state Legislature in 1991 as the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day, a unique day in the state to honor all of the service members who served in the armed forces during the Vietnam era between 1959 to 1975.

According to Kelly Watts, executive director of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation, which sponsored the event, about 500 people attended the event to honor 150 New Jersey veterans and 85 recipients who received their medals under the bright sun at Wednesday’s ceremony. Seven medals were awarded posthumously to surviving family members.

Staff Sgt. John Van Rixoort (far right) was killed Jan. 15, 1945, in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. His son, Peter Van Rixoort (above right), accepted his father’s Distinguished Service Medal 63 years after his death. Retired Col. Stephen Abel, deputy commissioner of the N.J. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, presented the medal. “It was absolutely a perfect day, the exact kind of day we want when we acknowledge our veterans for their service,” Watts said. “The bulk of the awards were Vietnam Service Medals, but a little bit of every war theater was represented and honored.”

As his father’s only child, a child of a soldier killed in action, Van Rixoort was classified as 4A, a sole surviving son and was not required to serve out his duty with the Air Force during the Vietnam era.

“I didn’t have to go, but I had a good friend who didn’tmake it back from ‘Nam,” Van Rixoort said. “It was a difficult time, and knowing what happened in my family, this ceremony meant a lot to a lot of people.”

The Van Rixoorts now live inMatawan, but Peter grew up in Keyport, not far from his father’s hometown of Union Beach.

“I am retired now, but I work on boats in the area and in the summertime I go to the memorial in Union Beach and eat lunch there,” he said. “My father’s name is on the memorial there, so is my friend’s, who was killed in Vietnam.”

Van Rixoort has managed to keep his father’s memory alive, reading the soldier’s letters and unit diary passages during family get-togethers and holidays.

Ironically enough, it seems as if his father’s memory follows him wherever he goes.

“I went to visit my mother at her nursing home and I had befriended a gentleman who is a veteran,” Van Rixoort said. “One day we got to talking about it and he asked what division my father served in and I told him. Sure enough, that was this gentleman’s infantry division. He couldn’t recall what company he served in, but he remembered that my father’s company was the one that was shot up real bad during the Battle of the Bulge.”

Remembrance of these veterans is not lost on the people dedicated to preserving their legacy.

“Most veterans present were from the VietnamWar, but other war theaters were included fromWorldWar II all the way up to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Watts said. “In fact, many of the older veterans said that they thought it was nice that these younger guys from Iraq and Afghanistan won’t have to wait 35 years for their medals.”

Watts explained that many of the veterans express humility and don’t want a medal, but she urges veterans to accept the acknowledgement.

“Many veterans say they don’t want the medals, but we tell them these are for you, but they are also for your family,” Watts explained. “It is important for your children and grandchildren to understand and have a piece of your legacy.”

Being a child of a soldier is something Van Rixoort has held onto.

“My mother was a bride, a mother and a widow all at once,” Van Rixoort said. “She saved all of my father’s things, even after she remarried, and I now have them.”

Van Rixoort explained his future plans for his father’s war mementos.

“I don’t have any children, but my wife works at Brookdale Community College and they are working on a World War II museum,” he said. “So, I think I will donate his medals to the museum, so others can view them and learn about the Battle of the Bulge and our veterans.”

Veterans wishing to apply for a service medal should apply to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Veterans must have served in combat in their respective war theaters during certain time frames and will need to present their proof of residency andmilitary issued DD-214.

This year, New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day was commemorated at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial at the PNC Performing Arts Center in Holmdel with guest speakers, highlighting what life was like in the Vietnam Era and a medal awards ceremony for New Jersey Veterans.

Veterans of other war theaters such as World War II, the Korean War, the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom were presented with service medals as well.

Below is a listing of veterans from the Monmouth County areas who received medals and were honored at the May 7 ceremony.