Sgt. John Vignola is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean War from 1951-1954 as an artillery gunner in the 9th Field Artillery Regiment alongside the 3rd Infantry Division
He was present during the 1953 assault on Outpost Harry, where the site was bombarded with tens of thousands of enemy artillery shells over a period of 8 days. The site was defended by a single company of U.S. or Greek soldiers each night, of which John was among the Americans.
He has received 5 battle stars, a Korean War Commemorative Medal and a Distinguished Service Medal.
Originally from West New York, Sgt. Vignola currently resides in Palisades Park and has lived there for about 67 years. He has two children, Peter Vignola and Christine Brown, and was married to Kathleen Connor who passed in April of 2020.
John worked in multiple grocery stores throughout his life in New Jersey both before and after his service, working mainly as a produce stocker. He also participated in raising awareness for Polio research and treatment.
John now enjoys his life spending time with his family and friends, completing puzzles, writing short stories in his spare time, and listening to the oldies like Bing Crosby.
We honor his service to our nation.
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.
