War impacts a second generation
Dr. Omara of Spring Lake was chatting with Chief Charles Brahn at the First Aid station when they saw a glow out on the ocean. By the time they got to the beach, the ship exploded into a ball of flames. The R.P. Resor was torpedoed off the coast of Spring Lake with 49 killed, and only two merchant seamen survived. It burned for days off the coast before finally sinking. Tar balls ran up the beaches in Sea Girt. The German U-578 then went on to torpedo the destroyer USS Jacob Jones as it searched for survivors.
The coast was quieted. House lights near the coast were extinguished after dark. Headlights were to be dimmed, many painted the top half of their bulbs black so only the ground was lit. The local Boy Scouts went door to door, knocking if any light could be seen from behind curtains. War had come to the Jersey Shore.
Many young men were enlisting. Rushed wedding showers were planned and girls accompanied their boyfriends on ‘farewell rounds’ in town. There were only 100 citizens and just a few military age young men in town for World War I, now there were 600 citizens and all able-bodied men were called to service.
One second generation warrior of Sea Girt was Robert Bossett. His father, Henry Bossett Jr., served in World War I.
Robert’s grandfather Henry Bossett had come from Irvington and bought a cottage on Ocean Road when Henry Jr. was in Artillery training at the guard camp in 1916. Their unit was made active duty in 1917, and they became the Blue and Grey joining with southern units from Virginia to form the 29th Infantry.
After training they were deployed to France in June 1918. They successfully fought the final major battle of the war--the Meuse-Argonne Offensive that began in October 1918. In its 21 days of combat, the division suffered more than 30% killed or wounded. Henry Jr. survived and moved full-time to Sea Girt after the war. They had a cottage at 11 Chicago, facing first, next to the Parker House. He sold real estate, and with his wife, Elsie, bought and operated the Village Barn. It was the old Spring Lake Golf club house, and still stands as Doolan’s.
Their son Robert was a star athlete at Manasquan HS in four sports. In 1939, as he was driving at the corner of 4N (Rt.71) and Sea Girt Ave, his car was struck and he was thrown out of the vehicle. His injuries forced him to lose his scholarship to Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia. He attended Clemson, then Indiana University where he was a back-up quarterback. The Fraternity president enrolled in Marine training in 1942, rather than taking his chances at the draft. College deferment in the 1940s allowed a drafted service member to finish their academic year or semester before reporting.
In July 1943, Robert was called to active duty. Fortunately, the Navy’s V-12 program allowed Robert to finish college while on active duty at Purdue, where he and a group of other officer trainees were plucked from other colleges around the country.
The 1943 Boilermakers went 9-0 after winning one game the season before the V12s arrived. Robert played halfback. They were the only undefeated team in the nation but were not ranked #1. It was great publicity for the quality of the servicemen in the V-12 program.
Robert then served in the Pacific theater, leading a Marine anti-aircraft unit. He returned to Sea Girt, and assisted his mother with running the Village Barn after his father died in 1948. He also taught Industrial Arts at Matawan-Aberdeen HS. He was a skilled boat builder. He coached sports and sailing. His son Henry Bossett III lived at the house at 11 Chicago until 2024. Tomorrow, some Sea Girt heroes of the war who were not so lucky.
