“To our men and women in uniform, past, present, and future, thank you."
A few years before he died our dad, Frank Augustine was a recipient of two Hudson County Military Service Medals and a Citation Certificate by the Hudson County NJ Executive, Thomas A. DeGise, the Office of Veteran Affairs, and the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders, for his seven years of service in the US Army at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, as a personal aide to his friend and mentor, Army Chaplain, Capt. William Walsh. He also received a proclamation from former Mayor Dawn Zimmer, presented by Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino.
Dad was honorably discharged in November 1942 just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. At 99 years old at the time, he was one of our country’s oldest living Veterans. He died on December 18, 2017, almost three weeks shy of his 101st birthday. Dad literally followed in the footsteps of his older brothers, my uncle Joseph Augustine and my uncle and godfather, Anthony Augustine. He joined them in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
My dear nephew, Andrew Augustine, is part of the new generation of Augustines to serve his country. He is a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force. Having served in country’s around the world, he is currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan with his wife Kaylyn who also serves in the US Air Force. We are so proud of them both.
Postscript: In 1954, Eisenhower signed legislation formally establishing November 11 as Veterans Day. Our thanks to all those (dead or alive) who served our country in war or peace.
