Joseph E. Lauer is the only fallen soldier in Eastern’s history. Today, his schoolmates are raising funds for an official memorial to be erected outside of the school.
On a June evening in 1968, seniors of Eastern Regional High School left their graduation and convened in a procession down Laurel Oak Road, crossing over Route 561 and weaving their way to Winding Way in Gibbsboro.
Despite marking milestones of their own, the graduates walked the one-mile path to pay respects to 19-year-old Joseph E. Lauer who lay in a glass-covered coffin with dress blues.
Lauer, who was a member of the first graduating class at Eastern in 1967, was killed in action in Quang Tri, South Vietnam, a few weeks prior after serving just 23 days in the war.
Flash-forward 50 years, and two Eastern graduates, John Masso of Waterford Township and Jack Gangluff of Berlin Borough, are unearthing the spirit demonstrated by students that June night by erecting a memorial in the late U.S. Marine’s honor outside of the high school.
“I think the importance of this memorial — the genesis of it — he’s not forgotten,” said Masso, who graduated with Lauer in 1967.
The two schoolmates, who also played alongside Lauer on Eastern’s football team, have been working on the project for the past two years, gaining support from the late veteran’s family, friends, classmates and other members of the community.
And while the planning kicked off within the last couple of years, Masso, the founder of the memorial’s fundraiser, says he’s brainstormed this recognition for decades.
In the school’s 53-year history, Lauer is the only alumni in the military to have been killed in action.
His story is considered especially extraordinary, because in an era when it was a federal offense for an 18-year-old man to not keep a draft card tucked in his pocket, Lauer volunteered to serve in Vietnam. After an initial rejection from a recruiter in New Jersey, Lauer returned to his hometown of Philadelphia where he was accepted into the military.
Lauer could have been exempt from the draft due to the nature of his job, according to Masso and Gangluff, yet this did not deter him from risking his life for the United States.
“Jay probably would have been spared if he didn’t enlist,” said Gangluff, an Eastern graduate of 1969.
While Lauer’s honor can be seen scattered throughout Gibbsboro, including Lauer Park at the intersection of Hillards and Norcross Roads, Masso and Gangluff thought it was crucial to remember the young man at his alma mater.
Currently, Eastern features remembrances of Lauer in its lobby. But the projected memorial, which encompasses two semi-circle benches of granite, will be 26-feet by 40-feet, including pavers and landscaping.
The design was derived from a student contest that ran over the last couple of years. Once a design was solidified and evaluated by Eastern’s architect, Garrison Architects, the board of education approved the project in December 2017.
“(Eastern) was the last place he was on this Earth before he went into the military … the last place he was was in the the halls of Eastern High School,” Gangluff said. “And, I think it’s incumbent upon every school that has a child that goes in military and steps forward to serve and ends up being killed in action … it’s an honor that needs to be bestowed by those who make the ultimate sacrifice.”
In the center of the circle, the memorial’s focus, a rectangular stone will not only include details about Lauer’s service and photo in his battle helmet, but also a excerpt from “A Star in the Sky,” a tribute written by Lauer’s father, which was read at his son’s funeral.
The memorial, which will be implemented among a current 9/11 stone outside of the school, will also leave blank spaces for potential veterans, if ever need be. But elements could be added, as Masso and Gangluff say the project is a work in progress.
“This will be designed and built depending upon the ultimate amount of money we raise,” Gangluff said.
The memorial will cost about $20,000 to produce. As of mid-April, the project raised about $14,000. Currently, the fundraiser will run through the end of May.
Ideally, the project will break ground over the summer with an official ceremony tentatively scheduled for Veterans Day.
Masso and Gangluff say they’ve received donations from Eastern graduates across the country — a testimony to Lauer’s service.
Being one of the final generations to remember the Vietnam War, Masso and Gangluff feel now more than ever they must conquer this task.
“Once people lose that memory, you’re never going to be able to get this project off the ground,” Gangluff said. “Because, it takes someone that actually physically knew who he was, knew what he was about, saw him when he was on the Earth.”
“We consider it an honor to be able to do this,” Masso said. “Jack and I are just trying to honor and protect the memory of a young man who gave his life for his country at our school.”
Information:
To donate to the Joseph E. Lauer Memorial fund, visit www.gofundme.com/joseph-e-lauer-memorial.
Mail checks to “Joseph E. Lauer Memorial Fund,” ℅ Columbia Bank, 900 White Horse Road, Box 1645, Voorhees, NJ 08043.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/jaylauermemorial/
