Mitch Singer of Springfield, Virginia, a former resident of Livingston and a
subscriber, wrote to the newspaper this week about a feature in the recent “Celebrate Livingston’s History” section.
“I loved the ‘Salute to the Greatest Generation’ article in last week’s issue,” Singer wrote. “My dad and his older brother were World War II veterans, so the piece immediately resonated with me. In particular, the story of S/Sgt. John F. Seiter.
“I brought this story to a longtime friend, Walter Hill of Arlington, Virginia, whom I worked with for 17 years at the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington. Like Mr. Seiter, Walter’s father, the late Fred M. Hill, of Macon, Georgia, also served in the 94th Infantry Division. Mr. Hill was in the 302nd Infantry Regiment (Company I), while, as noted in the article, Mr. Seiter was in the 2nd Battalion, headquarters company in the 301st Infantry Regiment.
“Although doubtful, for all we know they may have crossed paths, as Walter’s dad’s service time frame was from the summer of 1944 through the early spring of 1945, when he was wounded as theAllies pushed through the Siegfried Line into Germany.”
In conclusion, Singer cheerfully noted of his friend, “other than me, he has no connection to Livingston except for me telling him many times over the years that Don’s had the best burgers on the planet Earth, and perhaps in the entire solar system. Our friendship isn’t a one-way street however; he did teach me to speak fluent ‘Southern.’” Roosevelt Elementary School, now a shopping and office center named Roosevelt Plaza, was built at Northfield Center in 1927, and was later joined by Monmouth Court school to the north, now used as a municipal community center.
