Boro honors sacrifices of its war veterans Street signs recognize those killed in action BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer MICHAEL ACKER Veterans stand beside Woodrow Hausermann Jr.'s street sign during a ceremony Veterans Day honoring Haussermann and other borough veterans who were killed in action. Left to right are American Legion Past Commander Richard Kosmoski, Al Gawron of the Legion, and Stanley Drwal and Raymond Garnett, of the VFW. SAYREVILLE - Woodrow Haussermann Jr. was killed in Korea three days before the end of the engagement on July 24, 1953. Fellow Marine and Korean War veteran George Coyle has not forgotten. "For the last 10 years or more, every Memorial Day I put a flag on his grave," Coyle told the Suburban. On Veterans Day, Saturday, the community rallied together at Haussermann Road to honor the roughly 60 other Sayreville veterans who were killed in combat since World War I. The town named local streets after these veterans, and the recent dedication ceremony celebrated the addition of signs below the road sign that explain what war the veteran fought and died in. MICHAEL ACKER Kenneth Kelly, (r), past commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars, speaks during the Veterans Day dedication on Haussermann Road in Sayreville Saturday. Frank Straczynski (l), of the VFW, stands beside fellow borough veterans during the ceremony. The sign below the Haussermann Road sign reads "Woodrow Haussermann Jr. - Korea Killed In Action." "Woodrow Haussermann was the only veteran in Sayreville killed in Korea," Sayreville Detective Kenneth Kelly told the Suburban. Kelly, a past commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4699, took on the task of acquiring these signs, along with Richard Kosmoski, past commander of American Legion Post 211, who spoke before the crowd Saturday. "We worked together as co-chairs of the Veterans Alliance for many years," Kelly said, "and the reason why these projects in town get done for veterans is because of the cooperation." Kosmoski told those in attendance Saturday that former Business Administrator Joseph D'Arco asked Kelly and him to work on the project. Kosmoski thanked the governing body for its support and the veterans for their service. "Thank you, veterans, for what you have done," Kosmoski said. "God bless you." Local officials were also in attendance at the ceremony, including borough Councilman Stanley Drwal, who stood in uniform with fellow veterans during the ceremony. Addressing those in attendance, he said that veterans who gave their lives for their country are often not recognized. "Now in Sayreville at least, in this small part of America," Drwal said, "we have not forgotten these names." State Assemblyman John Wisniewski told the crowd that the updated veterans signs around the borough stand as reminders of the sacrifices veterans have made to their country. "Sayreville takes pride in its status as a veteran-friendly community," Wisniewski said. Council President Thomas Pollando also addressed the crowd, thanking veterans for their service. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here today," Pollando said. Barbara Straczynski attended the ceremony with her husband, Frank, who is a past commander of the VFW. She told the Suburban that these events often remind her of her late father, Richard Litz, who served in World War II. "My father did this all of his life," Straczynski said. "He lived and died for the VFW; that's how involved he was." Peggy Merritt, who is the wife of American Legion Past Commander John Merritt, said she is proud of the service her husband performed during the end of the engagement in Korea and the beginning of the Vietnam War. Mary Unkel stood beside Merritt during the ceremony to honor her late husband, Rudy, who, like Haussermann, has a street sign named after him in town. After the ceremony at Haussermann Road, veterans and their families continued the day with ceremonies at Washington Monumental Cemetery in South River and at borough hall in Sayreville. Coyle went to New Calvary Cemetery on Washington Road in Sayreville to visit Haussermann's grave. Haussermann talked Coyle, who is now a retired major of the state police, into joining the Marine Corps, Coyle said. "Woody and I grew up together," Coyle said. "We went to Our Lady of Victories, where we were altar boys together." Coyle ran into Haussermann in Korea toward the end of the engagement in 1953. "I ran into him and we were in the same regiment, different battalions. I said to him, 'Look what you got me into,' " Coyle said with a chuckle. The two Marines agreed to look up each other when the war ended, but Coyle, after being wounded, learned of Haussermann's death when the truce was put into effect. The street sign dedication ceremony was a special honor for Haussermann and the other men and women in uniform, Coyle said. "Unfortunately, for veterans, their destiny is to go and be forgotten," Coyle said. "To be remembered like this is a credit to those who are behind it."