Patrolman Michael Malone recently volunteered as a caretaker and program coordinator with the Best Defense Foundation, a California based nonprofit organization, which brought 9 WWII Veterans back to the battlefields where they fought and served in the Netherlands and Bastogne Belgium. This volunteer detail included the day to day, one on one, care for these 9 WWII Veterans from across the United States as they traveled to Europe for this 10 day Battlefield Return Program.
While in the town of Bastogne Belgium, Patrolman Malone presented Deputy Mayor of Bastogne, Coralie Bonnet, a certificate from the Wall Township Police Department & pictures of the Rockafeller Memorial Statue which was dedicated on 11 November 2018 at the Wall Township Police Headquarters. This statue depicts late Wall resident Harry J. Rockafeller as a Major while fighting in the United States 4th Armored Division at Bastogne Belgium, December 1944. Patrolman Malone proudly presented this certificate, as well as photographs of this memorial and Major Rockafeller while serving in Bastogne (December ’44) to the citizens of Bastogne, so that they may know, their liberators and defenders will always be remembered in our Wall Township community. Also present for this presentation was the United States Ambassador to Belgium, Ronald J. Gidwitz.
Pictured below from left to right is Deputy Mayor of Bastogne Coralie Bonnet, Best Defense Foundation founder Donnie Edwards, Ptl. Michael Malone, and United States Ambassador to Belgium Ronald J. Gidwitz
Pictured Below is Deputy Mayor of Bastogne Coralie Bonnet and Ptl. Mike Malone.
Pictured below are the 9 WWII Veterans who were brought to Bastogne, Belgium and the Netherlands
