Fallen Heroes Road Name Honors OK'd by Twp.

Two private lanes and one township road will be given additional names this spring to honor Long Valley residents killed in military action after the Washington Township Committee voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.

The American Veterans Association of Washington Township (AVAWT) came to the governing body in November, requesting the group consider taking this step to honor three local heroes.

“We originally wanted to have some ball fields named after our heroes,” AVAWT Adjutant Forrest Burgener said to the committee in November. “But one of our members came up with this idea to name streets in their honor instead, for our heroes.”

The two private lanes include the entryway and exit loop at Zion Lutheran Church, which will be named in honor of United States Marine Private Vincent E. Fields, who died March 6, 1945, in Iwo Jima, Japan.

The second private lane leads to the Califon Road Cemetery, which would be named for United States Army Private First Class John L. Lindaberry, who died Nov. 16, 1967 in Vietnam.

For the township-owned roadway, the AVAWT will post a sign at the entryway leading to the Senior Center at Rock Spring Park honoring Army Corporal James “Jamie” Smith, who died Oct. 2, 1993 in Somalia.

“Jamie [Smith] was a fantastic young man,” Burgener said in November. “His name is still on the walls at West Morris Central where he graduated.”

The AVAWT is currently having the signs created and hopes to have Smith’s honor ready and presented at the annual Memorial Day ceremony in May.

The use of both private lanes at Zion and the Califon Cemetery were approved by the respective property owners.