Friday, April 3, 2026

New Jersey XXXIV

I am choosing to write about a place from which I have no memorial today. Manasquan is a beach town I visited with my buddy Tony after receiving my draft notice. I knew I had 30 days before reporting and decided to make the best of them.

I am not from New Jersey but many of my family were born there many years ago. So, it has always held a spot in my heart. In fact, a relative was the last owner of the once famous Palisades Park. He hosted us for a bit while we were in the area and gave us free run of the park.

But, enough of that. What I do have is two heroes lost in 'Nam.

I cropped this picture from his ID as no other useable photos were available.

Robert C. Kugelmann was working in the Tay Ninh Province on the morning or December 12, 1967. He collapsed and was rushed to the hospital at Long Binh where he died the morning after, 12/13/67 of a ruptured aneurysm. This is a very rare happening, approximately 0.3 percent. He was 21 years old.

Richard C. Stewart

LCPL Richard Stewart was killed on February 2, 1966, at Quang Nam Province. He was a rifleman and was lost to "other explosive device." He was 19 years old.

Next time, on April 8th, we will return to New Mexico, to honor a few who were lost from the state, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam, and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here. 

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.