Montgomery Street Named for a Hometown Hero

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted May 22, 2025

Montgomery Township officials plan to install a street sign in honor of hometown hero Stephen Warner, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1971. A dedication ceremony will take place at Community Drive—the street that connects Orchard Road to the municipal complex—on Memorial Day [Monday, May 26] at 10 am.

Mike Maloney, the past president and chairman of the Montgomery Veterans Memorial Committee.

Deputy Mayor Vince Barragan read a resolution in Warner’s honor at the Township Committee meeting on April 17. “Street signs serve as a meaningful way to express the gratitude of a community and to ensure future generations remember the valor and sacrifice of its local heroes,” he read. Barragan is also a veteran, having served as an infantry officer with the US Army from May 2000 to May 2004, during which time he served as captain of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Montgomery veteran Ed Davis was stationed in the same area as Stephen Warner in Vietnam.

Local Veteran Ed Davis, 80, one of the younger Vietnam veterans, spoke at the township committee meeting. “I didn’t really know Stephen Warner, but I was stationed in the same area as he was in Vietnam,” Davis said. “I got interested in Stephen Warner when The Montgomery News did a pretty good article on him [November 2019]. “There is a complete exhibit at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center in Holmdel. When you walk through the front door, and you look up on the wall you’ll see the picture that appeared on the front page of The Montgomery News.

The Montgomery News cover, November 2019.

There are also a bunch of photos on display at the museum Warner took in Vietnam. “It is very impressive, and as far as I know, they are going to keep the display there,” Davis said.

Warner lived just south of ShopRite in Skillman. His father was an attorney at J & J. Davis said, “Stephen was drafted out of law school. His father told him that he probably could get him into the National Guard so that he would not have to go to Vietnam. But, Stephen said no, ‘I’ll serve.’ And he went.”

Warner spent almost a full year in Vietnam. He was killed in action on Valentines Day, 1971, along with three members of A Company 7th Engineers. “That’s a unit I was very familiar with,” Davis said. “His family must have been heart broken.”

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As Vietnam veterans age, Davis said their personal stories won’t be around for much longer.

“Hopefully people will go down and visit the exhibit in Holmdel,” he said. “Stephen dedicated his life to his country, his family, and his friends. “I am happy Montgomery ... is taking this opportunity to honor Stephan. I hope his story is told in the high schools and grammar schools.”

Stephen is buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Princeton, right next to his parents. “His grave indicates he won the bronze star twice, and the purple heart. So, he will be remembered.”

Street Dedication Scheduled for Memorial Day

Deputy Mayor Barragan, who is also a veteran, said the sign dedication will be in conjunction with the Montgomery Memorial Day Service, which begins at 9 am at the Veteran’s Memorial in Veteran’s Park, Belle Mead.

The service will then move to Community Drive at the Montgomery Municipal Center. The dedication of the Stephen Warner street sign will occur at 10 am. “We hope many of you can attend, Barragan said.