It was an opportunity for two proud sons to see their dad memorialized on the Battleship New Jersey, BB62. Brothers Greg and Joe Azzolina, sons of former State Senator Joseph Azzolina, Sr., and the former Naval Captain who was so instrumental in his unwavering fight to bring the decommissioned highly decorated battleship New Jersey back to her home state to become a historic museum, were present May 23 for the 80th anniversary of the commissioning of the battleship, now a museum on the Camden waterfront.
While touring the ship, Joe, Jr., a member of the Board of Trustees of the Battleship USS New Jersey, pointed out the plaque in the ship’s Officer’s Wardroom area that memorializes trustees who have passed away. Captain Azzolina was the founding president of the State Commission in 1980, and was also aboard the ship in Panama as she prepared to go through the Panama Canal enroute from Washington State to her final resting place on the Delaware River in her home state. The naval officer also served as assistant to the commanding officer of BB62 during Beirut. He died April 15, 2010.
The occasion for the visit by the brothers and VeniVidiScripto, in addition to the celebration of the 80 years since Battleship New Jersey was commissioned and became the most decorated ship in the history of the United States Navy, was to add another 22 flags to honor 22 more American heroes with special recognition aboard the ship. Among those added this year were two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients already featured in VeniVidiScripto, Jedh Barker of Essex County, and Charles J. Watters, a Catholic priest and chaplain from Hudson County, both honored for their service during the Vietnam War.
VeniVidiScripto will feature several stories in the next weeks on the Battleship, Senator. Azzolina’s service, his family’s continued support of the Battleship Museum, the 22 heroes named to the ship’s honor index this year, and the moving ceremonies that featured speakers from every decade since the ship was first commissioned May 3, 1943.
Surely a well deserved day of recognition.