Bob Vaucher “Steele Gap”
Vaucher, a Foothill Road resident in Bridgewater for almost seven decades, flew 117 combat missions in World War II and received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, five Air Medals, eight Battle Stars and 13 War Time Commendations and Citations. Born just a month after the armistice to end World War I was signed, Vaucher led the squadron of planes that flew over the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay as Gen. Douglas MacArthur was presiding over the formal ceremonies that ended World War II on Sept. 2, 1945. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel was inducted into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and has been nominated to the National Aviation Hall of Fame
Bridgewater residents were celebrated at a city council meeting for the preservation of an iconic Revolutionary War site.
A gift to Bridgewater Township - an original painting by New Jersey artist James Fiorentino, and video by D&R Greenway Land Trust were unveiled.
36 acres preserved on Steele Gap Road, where Washington and his troops camped in 1777.
Known locally as the “Wemple Estate,” it was the site of Steele Tavern, described in the letters of George Washington.
Speakers
Linda Mead, CEO of D&R Greenway
James Fiorentino, Artist and Vice Chairman of D&R Greenway
David Stempian & Brendan Burns, Bridgewater residents
Bob Vaucher, WWII veteran and resident
Jim Morgan, VP of Shooting Star Chapter 195 of the Air Force Association
“This important Revolutionary War site was preserved thanks to a collaboration among residents, the D&R Greenway and Crossroads of the American Revolution, Somerset County, and Bridgewater Township. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Bridgewater has a new opportunity to tell its own patriotic story.”
- Linda Mead, CEO, D&R Greenway