Local 600 has its own Hall of Famer
JIM TOMA
Earlier in September, one of our retired members was inducted into the 2017 Hall of Fame at Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark.
I have known Bill Duffy since 1980, when I became a law enforcement officer. I always knew he was proud of his military service, but I was not aware of his dedication to memorialize Clark residents who gave their lives in the military from the Civil War to Afghanistan.
William Duffy, born and raised in Clark, retired as a captain from the Clark PD in 2000 after 28 years. In his own words, he“ loved every day of it.”
Bill signed up for a three-year stint in the U. S. Army in 1968. After basic training, he spent 13 months in Korea on the DMZ. He wound up as a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and returned home in August 1971. Joining the Clark PD in 1972, he volunteered for the color guard, and his first assignment was the township’ s Memorial Day ceremony in 1973.
The ceremony was held near a monument to 12 WWII vets from Clark who had been killed in action. Bill didn’ t recognize any of the names, so he asked at the township VFW and American Legion posts. But again, no one knew anything. This started a 45-year journey not only to find out who these guys were, but also to honor them and their sacrifice through memorials, education and presentations to the schools and citizens of Clark.
Bill started at the Elizabeth Public Library, meticulously poring over every edition of the Elizabeth Daily Journal from December 7th, 1941 to September 2, 1945( VJ day). This took two years, but he found mention of all 12 killed in action, with family names and their units. Bill successfully tracked down and interviewed the families of all 12. Most of the men had moms, dads, and siblings; some had wives; and a few had children.
Bill would wear his uniform when approaching the families, to put them at ease and to help them entrust Bill with their stories. After establishing a line of communication with the families he would ask,“ Where’ s the shoebox?”— the letters sent home, the clippings and mementos. These emotional artifacts inspired Bill to continue his research, to make their lives more than an obit in the newspaper.
Bill says,“ When you’ re sitting in the living room of Bob Graves, reading a letter from his dad dated Dec. 24, 1944 saying‘ Merry Christmas’ to his one-year old son and that he would be home soon, and two weeks later he was killed at the Battle of the Bulge, your heart says everyone needs to know about this. These were human beings with life yet to be lived.”
As this passion progressed, Bill uncovered other names of Clark residents killed in action: a Civil War veteran, a WWI veteran, a Cold War pilot and four Vietnam vets. During his work, two other young men died— one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Twenty-one in all. Each one was researched, and families located when possible. Each has been added to the memorial, which was moved to the front grounds of the high school through Bill’ s efforts and the cooperation of the Board of Education.
When I ask Bill why the time, money and emotional sacrifice on his part, his answer is simply“ it’ s a labor of love.”
Bill speaks to the students at the high schools each year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, bringing memorabilia, uniforms, medals and letters that the soldiers wrote home. He reminds the students of the sacrifice that these men and others have made.
He says his greatest accomplishment was that in 1995, he was able to get an ordinance passed by the Clark Township council that any new streets must be named after one of those 21 men. As he says,“ I have 19 named and two to go. It’ s a permanent memorial to the sacrifice of these fallen heroes. Long after we are gone, somebody might ask who’ s that street named after with the gold star next to his name.”
Usually Hall of Fame inductions are saved for the star athlete or the academic superstar. But on May 18, Bill Duffy, who didn’ t graduate with honors or make any all-state teams, was honored not only for serving his country in the military and the police department, but for unselfishly dedicating 45 years to honoring men who gave their lives for our country. We are proud to have Bill as a member of PBA Local 600, and I’ m proud to count him as a friend. d
20 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ SEPTEMBER 2017