Commander Francis “Fran” Carrasco was a Specialist Fifth Class in the United States Army during the Vietnam War (1969-1970). While serving with the First and 39th Artillery Unit on fire bases through Northern I Corps, DMZ, and outside the Ho Chi Minh Trail, he received the Purple Heart Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device. Prior to retiring in 2001, Commander Carrasco owned and operated several gas stations. Since his retirement, he has dedicated his time as a member and officer of various veterans’ organizations in Northern New Jersey.
Currently, Commander Carrasco serves as the 87th Bergen County American Legion Commander and the 49th Commander of the Joseph M. Lane American Legion Post 136 in Lodi, New Jersey. He is Chairman and co-founder of New Jersey’s Mission of Honor for Cremains of American Veterans (NJMOH). He is a member and former officer of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 800, a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a member of LZ Hope, a PTSD support group in East Orange, and a member of Elmwood Park/Paterson Elks Lodge 60 and the Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge 1971.
Mr. Carrasco was presented with the “Bergen County Veteran of the Year” award in 2013 by County Executive Kathleen Donovan, and in 2016, Governor Chris Christie presented him with the New Jersey Civilian Commendation Service Medal. In 2020, Commander Carrasco was honored by Congressman Josh Gottheimer as a “Fifth District Hometown Hero,” as recognition for his commitment to bettering the lives of others.
As Chairman of the NJMOH, he leads ongoing efforts to locate, identify, and intern orphaned and abandoned veterans’ remains throughout the State of New Jersey, and his leadership has been instrumental in working with the New Jersey Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, fostering partnerships with funeral directors and veterans’ organizations, not only in Bergen County, but throughout the state.
Since the organization was founded in 2009, the NJMOH has held 33 interment ceremonies at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery, with 363 veterans being interred. These veterans honorably served the United States in the Spanish-American War, Mexican Border War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and during peacetime. Veterans interred include Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipients, as well as other commendation recipients. These veterans’ cremains had been abandoned at area funeral homes on average for 40 years, with the longest at 69 years. As a result of NJMOH efforts, 439 families have gained closure by being reunited with their loved ones, with a total of 802 veterans’ cremains removed from the shelves of funeral homes.
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Nominate a Veteran for #BergenCountyVeteranOfTheWeek
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you?
The #BergenCountyVeteranOfTheWeek social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Bergen County Division of Veteran Services
The Division of Veterans Services was established in 1977 to provide resident veterans and their dependents with information and assistance in obtaining earned entitlements from federal, state, and local governments, as well as any that are available from the private sector.
Through a quarterly newsletter and direct client contact, the division provides Bergen’s veterans organizations and their auxiliaries and individual residents with up-to-date benefit information.
