PARK RIDGE—Congratulations and a sharp salute to Dick Bozzone, one of the hardest-working veterans in the valley, recognized with a day in his honor, Feb. 24, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
At the Feb. 22 council meeting, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna surprised Bozzone with a proclamation declaring Thursday, Feb. 24 “Dick Bozzone Day” in the borough. Among those looking on was Councilman Robert Metzdorf, Cpl. Jedh C. Barker American Legion Post 153 liaison and a U.S. Army veteran of the war in Vietnam.
Bozzone is believed to be the first post member to be so honored.
Moreover, he’s the Park Ridge Police Department’s first veteran named in its new quarterly veteran spotlight program.
Bozzone, a past commander and the historian of the post, is a 63-year member of the Legion.
He was a security policeman in the United States Air Force in the Korean War era, 1951–1952, and is widely known in the valley and Bergen County as a stalwart veterans activist and champion of the cause of youth education on the sacrifices of America’s fighting men and women.
The borough’s proclamation notes that Bozzone was born in Jersey City on Feb. 24, 1932 and moved to Park Ridge in 1986. He served as first, second, and third vice commander of Post 153 before being elected Commander in 1996.
The proclamation notes Bozzone served as commander of the American Korean War Veterans Chorwon chapter and was twice chosen as grand marshal of the Tri-Boro Memorial Day Parade, served as parade chair for 12 years, and continued as vice chair for several years.
Moreover, it notes he served as chair of Patriot Day and Veterans Day events held by the American Legion. He was recipient of two Park Ridge Volunteer Community Service Awards.
He was appointed by governors Brendan Byrne and Thomas H. Kean as a member of the New Jersey Battleship Commission.
(The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial is in Camden preserves and displays USS New Jersey, the most decorated battleship to have served in the U.S. Navy and one of the largest ever built.)
He has also been chairman of the borough’s Patriot Day, Veterans Day, and Pearl Harbor observances and the Four Chaplains program, and chaired the post’s 100th anniversary celebration, in 2019.
Bozzone also was grand marshal of the 1979 Jersey City Memorial Day Parade and the 1982 WWII Liberty State Park Parade.
He is an honorary member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
Bozzone — generous with his time and editorial contributions to Pascack Press — has held several careers, including teaching; working in municipal government; and as a reporter, publisher, and editor for several publications in the state. He was an owner of the Secaucus Press.
His most recent bylined piece for us was “First person: Remembering 9/11, twenty years on,” Sept. 4, 2021, a roundup sharing the views of fellow Legionnaires, Knights of Columbus, and others in the valley.
The proclamation sweeps in much more that is Dick Bozzone with the statement, “His dedication to volunteerism and his community is unparalleled.”
Bozzone, the borough notes, is “blessed with two children, three grandchildren and his loving wife, Dorothy,” who is a longtime force on Post 153 Auxiliary Unit.
Misciagna read, on behalf of the governing body and from the heart, that a grateful borough extends its “best wishes for continued health, happiness and gratitude for his years of service to the community.”
The Park Ridge Police Department told Pascack Press on March 2, from the desk of Chief Joseph Madden, that “We thank Mr. Dick Bozzone for his service to our country. We also thank him for his countless hours of community service to the veterans and residents of Park Ridge.”
Reached for his reaction to all this, Bozzone initially waved the question away. More important to him: Making sure we were going to run an item, held over from last week, that featured him bestowing an award on West Ridge Elementary School Principal Chris Kirkby, lauding his role in the success of the post’s 2021 Veterans Day observance, Nov. 11. We assured him it would run (see page 24). Then he agreed to talk about “Dick Bozzone Day.”
“For a guy 90 years old I’m doing all right,” he said. He reported Dot was unable to attend his council ceremony as she was recovering from hip surgery but that she caught the proceedings on PKRG-TV — which will rebroadcast the meeting.
“The ceremony, I didn’t know they were going to do that. It was very nice. They piggybacked it on to the end of the council meeting, and they gave out some awards to some kid soccer players, and they put my name in,” Bozzone said.
He added, “It was sort of a little emotional, because I was thinking of the people who were in my life who are no longer here, and I really was very impressed, it was very nice.”
He said, “You know, John, going back 50 years — well, more than that — I’ve had a hell of a lot of nice awards. But when you don’t know something is coming that makes it a little nicer.”