HANOVER — Chester A. Kochan, a Hanover hometown resident drafted in WWII at 18, will be honored as Hanover’s’ Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal. Kochan was wounded in France and served in the Army’s 83rd Division, Company F, 331st Battalion, under General George Patten.
Chester was wounded by the shrapnel of two grenades before being captured by German soldiers. For his valor as a combat soldier liberating France, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor at West Pont, a purple heart, and dozens of other medals earned during war tours in Europe.
Over 416,000 American personnel were killed and 566,000 wounded during WWII. Hanover honors and celebrates the valiant efforts of Chester Kochan, who resides in Hanover with his wife, Mary. Chester is now 96 and one of the last remaining WWII American heroes.
The Hanover Memorial Day Parade will commence on Monday, May 29 at 9:30 a.m. from Whippany Park High School, proceeding along Whippany Road and concluding at the American Legion Post on Legion Place. Ceremonies will be held at the Post to commemorate the occasion.
