Don Sweeney, then a Scout leader with Troop 80, was participating in Cranford’s annual Memorial Day observance. After helping his Scouts maintain their marching order in the parade and positioning them to hold 86 flags during the ceremony, he listened as World War II veteran Bob Greco read the names of 57 Cranford men who had served during that war and never returned home.
Greco reminded those gathered that the names represented people he had known.
“As I read this list, to you they may be ‘just names.’ But me? I’ll see each of their faces. They were my friends, my teammates, and my classmates.”
For Sweeney, those words made the importance of preserving their stories unmistakable. The moment inspired what would become the Cranford 86 Project.
The project honors the 86 Cranford residents who died while serving their country in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Their names appear on the monuments at Memorial Park on Springfield Avenue.
Each year, volunteers research the lives, military service and deaths of three to four of these men. Their work builds on Cranford’s longstanding tradition of remembrance, led by VFW Post 335 with support from local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.
As generations pass, the relatives, classmates and friends who knew the fallen are fewer in number. The project works to preserve those personal connections and ensure the names remain more than inscriptions on bronze plaques.
By 2026, the Cranford 86 Project had provided a face and a story for more than 50 of the town’s fallen servicemen. Its four volunteers remain committed to completing all 86 tributes and sharing their research with current and former residents.
Readers can find the stories in Cranford Monthly, at cranford86.org and in the project’s tribute books. Supporters can also contribute through donations, street-banner sponsorships, tribute-book purchases or by following Cranford 86 on Facebook.
For more information, email info@cranford86.org.
