Joseph Bradley has been marching in the Weehawken Memorial Day parade since he returned from World War II in 1946.
This year, for the first time, he will lead the parade throughout the township as the grand marshal.
The parade assembly will take place on Monday, May 31 at 9 a.m. at Highpoint and Gregory avenues in Weehawken. Forward march will begin at 9:30 a.m.
“This is really a great honor to represent the World War II veterans,” said Bradley last week.
The Weehawken Memorial Day parade will take place on May 31.
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A different field to fight
Bradley was 18 years old when he went into the service in 1943, arriving in Europe just in time to be there for the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, which was meant to be Hitler’s last stand.
During his time in the service, he went to France, Germany, and Belgium.
“Everything was scary over there,” he said.
A switchboard supervisor, Bradley said he dealt with cryptic work during his time in the Army. But it wasn’t something he was always proud to share because he wasn’t involved in man-on-man combat.
“I had a brand new rifle when I went overseas,” he said. “And when I came home I still had a brand new rifle.”
It wasn’t until he saw a program on the History Channel he realized how important his role had been.
Life as a veteran
After returning from the war, Bradley became a truck driver, driving an 18-wheeler around Manhattan, Long Island, and New Jersey.
Now retired, he works with the others at the Senior Citizens Center to send packages to the troops overseas.
“It’s a morale builder,” he said, adding that he personally remembers the importance of receiving those packages while away at war.
He also volunteered previously as a Boy Scout Leader. And for the past 11 years he and another veteran have been going to the Roosevelt School to talk to students about World War II and the Great Depression.
For a hobby, he said, he makes buttons. That’s putting it lightly for a man who has become the famed button maker of Weehawken.
After September 11, Bradley made “Remember 9/11” buttons with a picture of the second tower collapsing. With the buttons he was able to raise approximately $4000 (which was matched by an anonymous charitable company) to donate to the North Hudson Regional Fire Officers Association.
Excited to walk in front of the parade, Bradley doesn’t consider all of the things he’s done in his life to be purposefully “patriotic,” rather he says “It’s just things that I thought were important.”
Parade details
Starting at the assembly point, the parade route will head west on Highpoint Avenue to Hudson Avenue, north on Hudson Avenue to Maple Street, and east on Maple Street to Ridgely Place. It will then continue onto Pleasant Avenue and head north on Pleasant Avenue to Park Avenue.
The route will proceed up Park Avenue to 49th Street and go east on 49th Street to Blvd. East, where it will stop for a few minutes.
From there it will head south on Blvd. East to the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ monuments.
The Memorial Day Parade will conclude at 11 a.m. with a ceremony taking place at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monuments on Blvd. East. After the ceremony, tables will be set up to give out hot dogs and refreshments.
In case of rain, the parade ceremony program will be held at the Weehawken High School gym on Liberty Pl. at 11 a.m.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.