Late Harry Rockafeller cited multiple times for bravery
It began as a routine call for a suspicious vehicle parked on a residential street in Wall Township. Ptl. Mike Malone responded to find the car gone.
"Normally, we just report in that the vehicle has left and move to the next call," said Malone. "But for some reason, I decided to knock on the door of the resident who called it in."
He was greeted by elderly man wearing a baseball cap that read: "Patton's Best," with the number 4.
"I said, 'Did you serve with Gen. Patton, sir?' " Malone said. "He seemed surprised I knew who Patton was. I told him my grandfather also served under Patton and he tested me. He said, 'What army?' I said, 'the 3rd.' And he said, 'Well, come on in.'"
This began a five-year friendship that ended with the death of 100-year-old Harry Rockafeller in 2017, but Malone's dedication to the old soldier will have him remembered for the rest this century and beyond.
Malone and the rest of the Wall Patrolmen's Benevolent Association are raising funds to have a 9-foot-high bronze statue of Rockafeller erected at police headquarters in the municipal complex on Allaire Road.
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Malone, 38, always had an interest World War II. Both of his grandfathers served. And through movies and books, "I had a working knowledge about the war," he said.
So, Malone knew the red flag with two white stars meant Rockafeller had risen to the rank major general.
Then Malone saw the Silver Star with two bronze oak leaf clusters, a Bronze Star with a V (for valor) and a Purple Heart in Rockafeller's service shadow box.
"A Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters is the same as being awarded three Silver Stars," Malone said. "When he said he had three Silver Stars, every hair on the back of my neck stood up. I knew this guy was a real American hero."
After that first meeting, Malone would check on Rockafeller from time-to-time and their friendship grew.
"After Hurricane Sandy I went to make sure he was okay," Malone said. "His power was out, and he said, 'I don't ever want to be as cold as I was in Bastogne (where Patton's army rescued the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge) and last night was pretty damn close."
Malone began to visit him "once or twice a week" and arranged for people to come to do household maintenance.
"If he needed his trees trimmed or pipes fixed, we'd find someone to do it," Malone said.
"He was always a gentleman. We invited him for dinner and he had flowers delivered for Nicole (Malone's wife, who was then his fiancee) before he came."
Rockafeller was a guest at Malone's wedding, coming with his daughter Pam and her husband Rob Henry, who live in Massachusetts.
"My entire family will forever be grateful to Mike Malone," Pam Henry said. "His compassionate nature with my father and his passion for this enormous project has been a wonderful thing for all of us."
As his friendship with Rockafeller grew, Malone delved into his military record and eventually researched his citations.
"Here was the guy, a legitimate war hero, living quietly in our town for 70 years, and nobody knew about it," Malone said. "That's a problem we're going to fix."
Malone found that each time Rockafeller was awarded a Silver Star, his superiors had recommended him for the Army's Distinguished Service Cross, the military's highest award after the Medal of Honor.
"Harry was a Rutgers grad, not a West Pointer," Malone said. "That, and the fact that Patton wasn't well-liked (by the war brass) probably hurt him."
In fact, Malone found a letter written by Patton to and underling saying "the next time" Rockafeller showed bravery in combat, he would personally see that he received the Distinguished Cross.
"But by then the war was winding down," Malone said.
One night he read one of the Silver Star citations to Rockafeller.
"He said, 'That's exactly right!' It was the first time he ever heard it or read it," Malone said, relating a story so typical of World War II veterans.
These acts of Rockafeller's "conspicuous gallantry" occurred in 1944, as the Allies made their way across France and Belgium into Germany during some the fiercest fighting in Europe.
Rockafeller was in the 51st Infantry Battalion 4th Armored Division, which landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, six-weeks after D-Day. At the time, he was a captain, and then was promoted to major at Bastogne, Belgium.
"Through my research, I came to the conclusion that my grandfather (Bob "Rocky" Gadaleta) and Harry were probably in St. Lo (France) at the same time (during the Allied offensive in 1944).
In Malone's home is Rockefeller's framed silk "escape map" of Europe, pictures of him from his war days and other memorabilia. He also has a canister of sand from a trip to Normandy's D-Day beaches, dedicated to "the two Rockys," he said.
Now comes his plan to commemorate Rockafeller's legacy in a more public way.
After Rockafeller's death last August ("He would have never agreed to something like this," Malone said) the police in Wall decided to raise money for the statue.
They figure they'll need $130,000 to get the statue erected and dedicated by Veteran's Day of this year. So far, $60,000 has been raised by the police putting up a few hundred posters in the Wall area.
Donations can be made through www.rockafellermemorial.com or by sending a check to: Wall Twp. PBA Local 234, P.O. Box 1332, Wall, N.J. 07719.
The statue the police have planned will depict him at the Battle of Bulge.
"This statue will honor him and all our World War II veterans," Malone said. "This generation - the Greatest Generation - is disappearing. Future generations will never know them. We have to remember them."
Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.
