NJ soldier will be added to state Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 57 years after he was killed

Allan Harvey Katz grew up in Paterson, graduated from Eastside High School, and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University before he went off to war with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, where he was killed on Feb. 26, 1967, at age 20.

The records of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which financed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., list Katz’s “home of record” as Santa Monica, California. As a result, his name does not appear on the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel.

That’s changing.

Katz’s name will be added to the memorial as the 1,565th New Jerseyan who died in the war. A ceremony is tentatively scheduled to take place in April 2025 and members of Katz’s family are planning to attend, according to Amy Osborn, chief executive officer of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum.

'It will eat you alive': How Vietnam POW from Manalapan let go of his hate

“Mr. Katz was born and raised in Paterson, but his family moved to California shortly after he joined the military, so that was his home of record when he was killed,” Osborn said. “The national wall recognizes the home of record at time of death, so he’s listed on there as being from California.”

Katz’s Garden State origin was brought to Osborn’s attention by Vietnam veterans in Paterson, Osborn said. A private first class in the 25th Infantry Division, Katz was on guard duty with an engineer battalion in the Mekong Delta when he was killed, according to contemporary newspaper accounts. He had just turned 20 years old.

His addition to the memorial in Holmdel — a circular wall consisting of 366 eight-foot-tall black granite panels along an outdoor pavilion — is a reminder that history is constantly being updated.

Gone too young: Remember this Freehold 21-year-old helicopter pilot who vanished in Vietnam

In October 2023, the name of James E. Gosselin, of Pleasantville in Atlantic County, was added to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial wall. A hospital corpsman third class in the Navy, Gosselin was 26 years old when he was killed by an explosive device during the Battle of Hue City in South Vietnam on Feb. 2, 1968.

“He was incorrectly recorded as being from Pleasantville, Pennsylvania, but his Pleasantville classmates wanted to make it right,” Osborn said. “After looking at yearbook photos and speaking with his classmates, we determined that he was in fact a son of New Jersey and belonged on our wall.  It was an emotional ceremony, with many students and residents from Pleasantville in attendance.”

'What Bronze Star?': Wall Vietnam veteran battles red tape, gets medal 55 years later

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ soldier will be added to state Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 57 years after he was killed