World War ll vet to receive Distinguished
Service Medal at Sea Girt ceremony
By:Eric Schwarz
An 86-year-old Manville resident who was wounded in World War II will be among the newest recipients of New Jersey’s top military award.
Frank R. Sterbinsky of Bound Brook Avenue plans to attend the award ceremony for the Distinguished Service Medal on May 9 at the armory in Sea Girt.
Mr. Sterbinsky has a long list of accomplishments, in the military and civilian life.
He served in the Marines from 1943-45, being wounded twice during the battle for Okinawa.
He served as a drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C., for about 16 months. Then he was sent to Okinawa, which he called "the biggest, last engagement in the Pacific" during the war.
The last six months of his military service were spent in the hospital.
Mr. Sterbinsky, a native of Edwardsville, Pa., served as president of the Senior Citizens of Manville social group for 18 years.
The seniors also participated in many community activities of which he is proud, such as singing in high school concerts, mailing political action letters and telling children of Christmases past.
He received the Purple Heart in recognition of his injuries.
Early in the Japanese campaign, Mr. Sterbinsky suffered a concussion and shrapnel wounds. He later suffered a more severe concussion, as well as multiple wounds in his head, arms and legs. He was treated at a string of hospitals, from Saipan to Asbury Park, until his discharge Nov. 21, 1945, serving 25 months in the corps.
Mr. Sterbinsky married his wife, Florence, in 1993. He has a daughter, Karen, from an earlier marriage.
He has worked on garbage and public transportation issues in Manville, and with the Somerset County Office on Aging and the American Red Cross.
The New Jersey medal he is to receive next month will be Mr. Sterbinsky’s eighth medal for his service in World War II.
In order to be eligible for the medal, a veteran must be a current resident of New Jersey and upon entering the military; have been honorably discharged; and have received at least the equivalent of the Air Medal, Purple Heart or Bronze Star, or have served in combat on active duty during wartime.
The medal originally was issued to veterans of the Civil War, starting in the 1870s, and then to Spanish-American War veterans.
The medal was awarded infrequently after the Spanish-American War until Gov. Thomas H. Kean reauthorized it in 1988. Since then, about 3,200 medals have been awarded.
The awards are given eight to 12 times a year in ceremonies in the north, central and southern areas of the state.
Anyone interested in applying for the Distinguished Service Medal may send a written request to: New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Attention CIO-GS-PA, P.O. Box 340, Trenton, N.J. 08625-0340.
Applicants should include copies of their discharge document, award citation and honorable discharge, as well as full name, home address and phone number.