John Calabro is a World War 2 veteran who served as a Petty Officer Third Class in the United States and is June’s Bergen County Veteran of the Month!
John served tours initially in Bermuda, then in Guam, constructing airstrips pivotal for the invasion of Japan.
He enlisted in December 1941, shortly after Pearl Harbor, and was called up in November 1942. He was assigned to the 49th Naval Construction Battalion with B Company. Read more about the history of the “Seabees” by clicking this link: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/049%20NCB.pdf
His first assignment at Camp Allen and Camp Peary was to finish the barracks. By January 1943, his group was in Davisville, Rhode Island, gearing up for overseas deployment. Deployed to Bermuda in January 1943 and to Guam in November 1944, his unit continued until its deactivation in July 1945.
Born in Newark, NJ, John moved to North Arlington, NJ in 1932, where he resides to this day. He worked at Colonial Sand and Stone Company for 35 years as a maintenance supervisor. He spent his free time enjoying bowling, coaching baseball, and supporting the Yankees.
Widowed since 2007, when his wife Catherine passed away, John has two sons, five grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren with whom he loves spending time.
A proud American, John’s memory remains keen, filled with recollections of his service days. John recently celebrated his 102nd birthday in March!
We thank him for his service to our nation!
Nominate a Veteran for #BergenCountyVeteranOfTheMonth
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 #BergenCountyVeteranOfTheMonth 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.
