BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
LAKEHURST – A new road at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst has been dedicated to the memory of a victim of the terrorist attack on America of Sept. 11, 2001.
The new road to the fire rescue station was dedicated to the memory of Jeffrey Patrick Walz, 37, of Tuckahoe, N.Y., who was not only an engineer at NAES Lakehurst, but also a New York City firefighter who lost his life at the World Trade Center almost five years ago.
A ceremony naming the road for Walz was held last week.
“Today we pay tribute to Jeff’s service to his country by the dedication of this road,” said NAES Lakehurst Command-ing Officer Capt. L. Bret Gordon.
“This road connects the Navy Lakehurst airfield with the RDT&E (Research, Development, Test and Engineering) facilities on the base and passes directly in front of our brand new fire station. [This was] an appropriate choice because it, like Jeff, serves both the Navy’s mission and the firefighting service,” the commader said.
Walz graduated from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1989, said the captain.
Soon after that he began his professional career as an electrical engineer in the Public Works Engineering Division at Navy Lakehurst. As a member of that team, Walz was instrumental in maintaining and advancing the infrastructure of Navy Lakehurst, according to the commander.
“As the Navy made plans to move from steam to electrically powered catapults its aircraft carrier fleet, the electrical infrastructure of Navy Lakehurst, became an invaluable part of our nation’s defense,” Gordon said. “Jeff contributed greatly to these facilities with his work to upgrade the base’s electrical power system, including replacing vital transformers and emergency power systems.”
Gordon said Walz also contributed to the operation of many RDT&E facilities including the upgrades to several buildings and the catapult steam plant. He was part of the team that designed the police headquarters, moving security forces from a dilapidated facility to its current location.
“He also left his mark on a national historic landmark with his work in the training facilities in Hanger One,” the commander said.
Despite a successful and promising career in engineering, Walz wanted more. The call to be a New York City firefighter, just like his dad, could not be ignored. In 1992 the opportunity presented itself and Walz accepted the challenge before him.
Recognizing the loss this would be to the Navy, his supervisors convinced Walz to stay at Lakehurst as a part-time employee.
Walz maintained two professional careers at the same time, serving the city of New York as a firefighter and the Navy. It was in that service to New York City on 9/11 that Walz, while saving the lives of others, lost his own life.