The Grand Marshal for tomorrow’s Roselle Park Memorial Day Parade is Joseph Verdun. Born 1947 in Brooklyn, New York, Joseph joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1966 after graduating from high school. In 1967, he was Squad Leader in a Rifle Platoon and in 1968 Joseph fought in the TET offensive. Wounded three times in combat – on February 4th, February 19th, and September 25th – he was awarded three (3) Purple Heart medals. After coming back home he was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, known as PTSD.
Joseph married Rosalia Tignini and the couple has three children: Joseph, Dante, and Nancy. The Verdun family moved to Roselle Park in 1991. He has remained involved and active in the American Legion, Marine Corps Legion, Purple Heart Association, and Vietnam Veterans of America and Disabled American Veterans.
The parade is scheduled to start at Sherman Elementary School on Monday, May 30th, at 10 o’clock in the morning. It will be followed by a Memorial Day Service on the front grounds of the Roselle Park Veterans Memorial Library then a free picnic at the Casano Community Center located at 314 Chestnut Street.