Cherry Hill, N.J. — War Memorial
The Cherry Hill, N.J. War Memorial.
Located adjacent to the Cherry Hill Municipal Building on Mercer Avenue, between Chapel Avenue and Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J. Cherry Hill was known as Delaware Township prior to 1961, and this is reflected in the inscription on the original World War II monument. Additions were made late in the 20th century to memorialize those who served in the Korean War, and the five Cherry Hill residents who died during the Vietnam War.
These Gave Their All
The Cherry Hill War Memorial panels. Listed are the names of local men and women who served in the Armed Forces during World War II. The center panel lists Delaware Township’s (Cherry Hill) WWII dead, including the Merchant Marine.
The Cherry Hill WWII War Memorial roster panels, including names that were blocked in the far right photo.
| Name | Rank | Branch | Unit | Born | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Ankonski | SSGT | Army | 3/13/1943 | ||
| Robert W. Britton | PVT | Army | 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment | 6/6/1944 | |
| Thomas M. Brown | SSGT | AAF | 1916 | 3/2/1943 | |
| Howard Cahill | PFC | Marines | 3/4/1945 | ||
| Albert Francis Callen | COX | Coast Guard | 4/29/1945 | ||
| William F. Callen | SGT | Army | Company I, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division | 11/22/1944 | |
| Richard L. Connelly | SSGT | Army | 134th Anti-Aircraft Gun Battalion | 10/22/1944 | |
| John Cuiglet | |||||
| Glenn Curtis | MM | Merchant Marine | SS Meriwether Lewis | 3/2/1943 | |
| Joseph J. Czempkawski | PFC | Army | 1945 | ||
| John J. D’Agostino | SGT | Army | 823rd Bomber Squadron, 38th Bomber Group | 12/13/1944 | |
| Everett S. Davis | S2C | Navy | Battle of Savo Island | 8/9/1942 | |
| Jack Dixon* | |||||
| Joseph E. Dzurka | PVT | Army | 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division | 1/15/1945 | |
| John P. Enright, Jr. | S2C | Navy | 11/13/1943 | ||
| Robert H. Fox | PFC | Marines | 1/22/1946 | ||
| Samuel French | TEC5 | Army | Company B, 121st Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division | 8/11/1944 | |
| William Gash | PFC | Army | 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division | 3/17/1945 | |
| Herbert Goldberg | SSGT | Army | 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division | 3/17/1922 | 10/23/1944 |
| George W. Jones | CGM | Navy | 12/2/1913 | 12/3/1947 | |
| Max Kappenberger | PVT | Army | 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division | 10/12/1913 | 11/25/1944 |
| Carl E. King | TEC SGT | Army | 597th Ordnance Ammunition Company | 4/27/1945 | |
| Daniel L. McCarty | TEC5 | Army | 41st Reconnaissance Squadron, 11th Armored Division | 3/18/1945 | |
| Thomas Martin Pettit | ENS | Navy | 8/9/1944 | ||
| Theodore Pivoras | PFC | Army | |||
| Stanley Pokorski | CPL | Army | 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion | 1/26/1944 | |
| Eric G. Roberts | 1LT | AAF | |||
| Orville M. Showers, Jr. | PFC | Marines | 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division | 1944 | |
| Joseph Sloan | SSGT | Army | 3rd Battalion, 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division | 3/19/1911 | 11/30/1944 |
| O. Sprigs | |||||
| John Joseph Stahl | WT2C | Navy | USS Barton DD-599 | 11/13/1942 | |
| Frank St. John | Y1C | Navy | 3/23/1944 | ||
| Harry D. Strunk | PFC | Marines | 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division | 4/11/1925 | 7/5/1944 |
Jack Dixon
Jack Dickson.
There are four men named on the World War II War Memorial in what is now Cherry Hill, N.J. whom to date I have been unable to document at all. Three, Joseph Ankonski, John Cuiglet and O. Sprigs, remain complete mysteries. I have found no documentation regarding them at all.
Jack Dickson, depicted above, was mentioned in the Camden Courier-Post of February 19, 1943, as serving overseas. He was said to be the son of Mrs. Jack Horner, of 121 Kenilworth Avenue. A Technician 5th Class Jacob Dickson, Serial #32156762, was listed as missing in action while serving with the 565th Signal Air Warning Battalion on June 11, 1945. While it is known that Technician 5th Class Dickson was inducted into the Army from Camden County, it is not known for certain if he is the Jack Dixon referred to on the monument. I believe this is highly probable, however.
Honor Roll Vietnam 1961–1975
| Name | Rank | Branch | Unit | Born | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul J. Neely | |||||
| Barrie M. Newton | |||||
| George M. Obermeier | |||||
| Jonathan R. Vars | WO | Army | 15th Medical Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Division | 9/28/1943 | 7/17/1969 |
| Glen R. Williams |
HMTS Rohna
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, Merle 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.