Greater Morristown Veterans Honored At Memorial Day Ceremony

MORRISTOWN, NJ — As Morris County honored the fallen, two Greater Morristown veterans received Distinguished Military Service Medals. Sara L. Vasso and William J. O'Connor were among the awardees at Wednesday's county Memorial Day ceremony.

Vasso, of Morris Township, served in the Army from 1985-94 on both active duty and in the reserves. She's the first woman in her family to serve in the military.

O'Connor served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He enlisted in August 2000 and was called to active duty after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Morris County also continued its tradition of honoring a fallen service member. This year, the county honored Amabel Scharff Roberts, an Army nurse from Madison who died in World War I.

Attending the ceremony were Margaret and Wade Merrick, who now live in Nurse Robert’s family home and keep the memory alive.

“Because of the turmoil America suffered this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic," said county Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw, "we thought it fitting to look back on the selflessness and heroism of Amabel Scharff Roberts an American nurse in France during World War I."

Find out more about the honorees here. The county shared the following information about Vasso and O'Connor:

Sara L. Vasso, Morris Township, served in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 1994, both active duty and in the U.S. Army Reserves. Mrs. Sara Little Vasso is the first woman in her family to have served in the military.

Mrs. Vasso achieved the rank of Sergeant and was a First Lieutenant in the Reserves. Her military specialty was Air Defense Artillery Intelligence Analyst and as an Army Nurse. She served in Germany and deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Storm.

Mrs. Vasso is a member of the American Legion Morris County where she has served as an officer at Post 91 and also at the County level. She is also a Life Member of the VFW, and she is a Registered Nurse and continues to work in that profession.

Mrs. Vasso also is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Morristown Chapter. Her family has a long record of military service dating back to the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Vasso has a son, Josh, and is married to Avery Vasso, past Commander of the Morris County American Legion.

Mrs. Vasso’s awards and commendations include: the Army Commendation Medal (Three Awards), Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal (Three Service Stars), Armed Forces Reserve Medal (M Device), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Liberation Medal – Kuwait, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

William J. O'Connor: Served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve after enlisting in August 2000 and completing basic training in October of that year.

Mr. O’Connor was stationed at U.S. Coast Guard Station, Sandy Hook, N.J. and was called to active duty on 9/11 in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He remained on active duty until August 2002.

Mr. O’Connor’s awards include: The Department of Transportation 9/11 Response Medal, the Reserve Mobilization Medal and a letter of commendation for his service. He also was a responder to the fatal Nov. 12, 2001 crash of American Airlines Flight 587 out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, which landed in a Queens, New York City neighborhood.

Mr. O’Connor is a Supervisor Telecommunicator at the Morris County Communications Center, where he began working in 2006, and he has been decorated several times during his employment, notably a Life Saving Award in January 2016. He had provided childbirth instructions to a 911 caller.

Mr. O’Connor, who has volunteered with the Morris Minute Men and the Morris Township Fire Woodland Hook & Ladder, is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice at Southern New Hampshire University.

He and his wife, Kerry, have two daughters, Gracyn, age 5, and Saoirse, age 3, and they are expecting their third child this July. When not working, Mr. O’Connor enjoys spending time with his family and discussing the history of movies and music.

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