Audubon, N.J. — War Memorial

Freedom is not free. Sometimes, it comes at a very high cost.

Situated on the grounds of the Murray-Troutt American Legion Post 262 in Audubon, N.J., this site has a World War II monument, a World War I monument, and a combined memorial to Audubon residents who died in the Korean War and Vietnam. Located just off the White Horse Pike (US Route 30) at 20 East Chestnut Street, it is a few blocks from Audubon High School, where a memorial to the three Audubon men who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is located.

Three men from Audubon have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. A memorial at Audubon High School honors Edward C. Benfold and Nelson V. Brittin, both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in the Korean War, along with a third recipient. The destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) is named in honor of Edward Benfold.

Second Lieutenant Hammitt Kenneth Elliott, of 306 Washington Terrace, Audubon, was killed at the United States Aviation Field at Houston, TX on February 27, 1918, when he lost control of the aeroplane he was driving 350 feet above the ground. He was caught in a heavy gust of wind trying to make a tail spin and failed to regain control of his machine. J.H. Geisse, a cadet flying with him, escaped with slight injuries. Elliott enlisted in the Signal Reserve Corps Aviation Service in October 1917, and was sent to the Princeton Flying School on October 20, 1917. He was sent to Houston two weeks later. The day before he was killed he was commissioned a lieutenant at the age of 19 years. He was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Hammitt K. Elliott, of 306 Washington Terrace, Audubon, N.J.

Private James L. Murray of Audubon, died of pneumonia at Red Cross Military Hospital No. 3, Paris, on October 20, 1918. He enlisted on May 30, 1917, and was sent to camp at Allentown, PA for training in the United States Army Ambulance Corps. He was an ambulance driver during the Battle of Belleau Wood and the bombardment of Paris. He arrived in France on December 23rd, 1917. He was the son of Mrs. Annie E. Murray of Audubon.

Private Fred D. Stimpson, of 325 Walnut Avenue, Audubon, died from pneumonia on October 12, 1918, shortly after arriving in France. He was a member of Battery F, 73rd Railway Artillery Regiment. He enlisted in the Coast Artillery on May 15, 1918, at the age of 21 years, and was sent to Fort Slocum, NY. He was transferred to Fort Adams, RI, and sailed for France in September, arriving September 30, 1918. He died 13 days after reaching France. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William P. Stimpson.

Private William Troutt, of 321 Oakland Avenue, Audubon, was killed in action on October 18, 1918, in the Argonne Forest. He went to France as a member of Company D, 312th Infantry Regiment, arriving there on June 6, 1918. Troutt was drafted February 28, 1918 and sent to Fort Dix for training. His parents were deceased, and he was survived by his oldest sister, Mrs. Frank Kelly of 220 Merchant Street, Audubon, N.J.

Six men from Camden, N.J. — Frank Ballerino, Michael Carr, Michael Yachus, Stephen V. Koscianski, Lewis Riondino, and Joseph H. Johnson — died together when the troop transport HMTS Rohna was struck by a German guided glider bomb and sank off the coast of North Africa. In addition, six other Camden County men — Jacob Kessler Jenkins and Carl Johanson of Pennsauken, 19-year-old Harry V. Taylor Jr. of Haddonfield, William McKeon of Blackwood, Merl Reagle of Lindenwold, and Elmer F. Day of Merchantville — also were lost that day. In total, 1,015 men were lost, but the story was never told to the families or the general public for over 57 years due to wartime censorship.

• The Rohna Disaster — Camden County Internet War Memorial
• MSNBC Coverage — Tom Brokaw
• The Rohna Survivors Memorial Association