Montville Medal-of-Honor Recipient Donates War Book

There is a bronze plaque in the lobby of Montville Township’s municipal building “that honors a home-town boy (Hector Cafferata) who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Korea. The plaque, however, is brief and largely ignored by the people going in and out of Town Hall,” said Montville Resident Bob Seijas in his article in the Garand Collectors Journal in 2011.

On Monday, Seijas is presenting a book to the Montville library board at their 7:30 p.m. meeting.

Seijas is presenting a book ‘Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor beyond the Call of Duty,’ which was donated by Cafferata, “a former Montville boy who was awarded the medal for his extraordinary actions as a Marine in the Korean War and whose story is detailed in the book,” said Seijas

The book has a foreword from President George H. W. Bush, essays from Senator John McCain, Victor Davis Hanson and Tom Brokaw, photographs from Nick Del Calzo and text by Peter Collier.

Cafferata “grew up in Montville and attended Boonton High School since Montville didn't have its own back then.  He joined the Marine Reserve unit in Dover after graduating and volunteered for Korea almost as soon as that war began in June 1950.  He currently lives in Venice, Florida and is still active and energetic,” said Seijas.

In Seijas’ GCA article, he writes,

“Hector Cafferata was a member of “F” Company, 7th Marines, who defended Fox Hill at the Chosin Reservoir. The battle for which he was awarded the medal happened on November 28, 1950. In honor of the 60th anniversary of this historic feat of arms, I decided to write up the details of Cafferata’s extraordinary heroism and display it more prominently in the building’s lobby.”

Check back with Patch this week for Seijas’ full article.