Bayonne’s Emergency Services Held Drive-By to Honor 98-Yr. Old Veteran on Birthday
Social distancing orders did not prevent a World War II veteran from having his hometown honor him on his special day.
Mayor Jimmy Davis and Police Chief Robert Geisler announced that the
Bayonne Police Department, the Bayonne Fire Department, and McCabe
Ambulance held a ceremonial drive by the home of World War II veteran Alfred
Ponterdolph on Monday, April 20. On that day, the 29th Street resident celebrated his 98th birthday. He has lived on 29th Street for seventy years.
Mayor Davis said, “The City of Bayonne is proud to honor Mr. Ponterdolph on his 98th
birthday. He is one of the Hudson County heroes who fought for our freedom during World War II. We are happy to join with his family to salute him on this special occasion.”
Chief Geisler said, “It is an honor for the Bayonne Police Department to help celebrate Mr. Ponderdolph’s birthday. As a member of ‘The Greatest Generation’ and a WWII veteran, he and others like him are the reason we can enjoy our many freedoms.
Happy Birthday, sir, and thank you for your service to our nation.”
Mr. Ponterdolph was born in Jersey City on April 20, 1922. In his youth, he lived on Hudson Boulevard and Seaview Avenue in Jersey City. When he registered for the draft during World War II, he was employed by the M.W. Kellogg Company in Jersey City. During the war, he served in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Ponterdolph was one of the commissioning sailors on the USS Philip (DD 498), a naval destroyer that was built in Kearny, New Jersey in 1942. He spent three years on the ship during the war. Ship records indicate that Mr. Ponterdolph held the ranks of Seaman Second Class and Radio Man Third Class while he served on the USS Philip.
Mr. Ponterdolph participated in major naval campaigns in the Pacific
Theater of operations during World War II: the Solomon Islands Campaign (1943-
1944), the Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign (1944), the Philippines Campaign
(1944-1945), and the Borneo Campaign (1945).