Morris County Memorial Day Observance Set for Noon on May 20
Published on April 20, 2026
Ceremony to Honor Local Veterans and Mark Nation’s 250th Anniversary
The Morris County Board of County Commissioners invites the public to attend its annual Memorial Day Observance on Court Street, between the historic Morris County Courthouse and the Administration and Records Building in Morristown.
The ceremony will begin at noon on Wednesday, May 20, and will include the presentation of Morris County Distinguished Military Service Medals to local veterans.
The event will also be livestreamed on the county’s Facebook page.
In recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary, the program will also feature a special commemoration honoring Continental Army soldiers who lost their lives at Jockey Hollow.
The keynote speaker is James Ferguson, a Vietnam veteran and Mountain Lakes resident who served on active duty in the U.S. Navy from 1963 to 1966. During his first two years of service, he was part of a small-boat amphibious fleet in the Atlantic, supporting Army and Marine Corps operations in Europe and the Caribbean. He later extended his service, volunteering as an officer aboard Swift boats in a newly established program, patrolling coastal waters and rivers in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. Following active duty, he completed his service in the Naval Reserve in New York, attaining the rank of lieutenant.
For his service, he received the Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba) and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon.
The Morris County Distinguished Military Service Medals are unique to the county and feature the county seal encircled with the words, “Morris County Distinguished Military Service” on the front. The reverse side displays an outline of the county alongside the American flag.
The Morris County medals include a general service honor as well as honors denoting specific eras of service, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Each medal includes a striped ribbon representing the colors associated with the era of conflict in which the veteran served, and each veteran is additionally presented with a certificate of honor.
More than 10,000 medals have been presented to veterans or to their surviving family members since Morris County began the medal program in in 1999, initially to honor WWII veterans on the 55th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Afghanistan War Veterans Compendium to be Launched
The Morris County Office of Planning & Preservation is seeking submissions for its Veterans Compendium project in advance of the 25th anniversary of the start of the War in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2026. Veterans who served in that conflict and their families are invited to participate by providing names and information about local service members. The project is a continuation of efforts by Morris County to document local veterans who served during conflicts dating back to the American Revolution.
Basic information requested includes the veteran’s name, Morris County hometown and branch of service. Participants are encouraged to share additional details, including the names of fellow service members.
For more information or to submit biographies, please email Jan Williams, Cultural and Historic Resources Specialist of the Office of Planning & Preservation. Jan Williams may be reached at: jwilliams@co.morris.nj.us
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