Meet the three grand marshals who will lead Newton's Memorial Day parade
Bruce A. ScrutonNEWTON — Veterans from three of America's most recent wars will lead the Newton Memorial Day parade, one of several in Sussex County to honor military casualties.
Representing World War II will be Navy veteran Cornelius "Neal" Faber, 97, from the Korean War will be Raymond Doyle, 91, and from the Vietnam War will be Edward "Charlie" Kampka, 75.
The three grand marshals will lead the parade along Spring Street beginning at 10 a.m., Monday, and ending with a service at Memory Park.
Neal Faber
Faber was born in Clifton and fell in love with Sussex County during the may trips to visit his grandparents as a young boy. He asked his mother to allow him to live with his grandparents. She agreed and he lived with them until the age of 17 when he moved to Paterson, where he was a truck driver.
A year later, World War II began and he enlisted in the Navy. He was assigned to several Liberty Ships.
His son, Roger "Skip" Faber, said his father told him many stories about his service, including making trips in convoys being hunted by submarines.
When he returned to New Jersey from the war, Faber learned carpentry and opened a construction company. He built and owned the Hampton Roller Rink at the age of 50. He and his family competed in state and national roller skating championships.
Skip Faber said his parents were married for 77 years and his mother, Norma, died last year. His father still has carpentry in his blood, his son said, and takes it upon himself to make repairs of the park benches at Bristol Glen where he now lives.
Raymond Doyle
Doyle had been in the Merchant Marines for five years, working mostly on the Great Lakes when the Korean War broke out. Being in the Navy Reserve, he was called to active duty in 1950 and after boot camp, he worked in Florida, restoring World War II ships that had been mothballed.
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He then spent time with the Atlantic Fleet, working on ship engines until his discharge in 1953.
He returned to the Merchant Marines and retired from there in 1956. He worked for 35 years with Anheuser-Busch helping produce yeast used in baking.
Edward Kampa
A Newton native, Kampka graduated from Newton High School in 1967 and was drafted into the Army the following year.
He served in Vietnam from 1968 to August 1969 as an artilleryman about 50 miles north of DaNang.
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His most vivid memory is being on night duty and hearing about Americans landing on the moon. "Yeah, it was three days later," he said with a smile.
He also remembers listening to the real Adrian Cronauer, the Air Force sergeant and radio announcer on Armed Forces Radio and whose time in Vietnam was made into the movie, "Good Morning Vietnam," starring Robin Williams.
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Sussex County Memorial Day events
HOPATCONG —A parade will kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday from the Department of Public Works garage at 120 River Styx Road and will end with a ceremony at Veterans Field.
BYRAM — On Monday, a ceremony is scheduled for Roseville School followed by a parade that kicks off at the firehouse in Cranberry Lake and end at the clubhouse.
FRANKLIN — A parade will kick off at 10:30 a.m. on Monday from the American Legion Post at 1 Legion Place and end at the Veterans Monument.
SPARTA — The parade kicks off a 10 a.m. on Monday from East Shore Trail and ed at the town library.
STANHOPE — The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. on Monday from the Netcong School, wind along Main Street and end at the American Legion post, where a service is scheduled.
STILLWATER — A ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Veterans Memorial Park on Pond Brook Road.