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The event takes place 12:30 p.m. outside the Bergen County Administration Building.
Ulrich’s son and daughter will attend, according to Ariel Jacob Luna, director of the Bergen County Division of Veterans Affairs.
After he was captured by the Germans, U.S. Army Private Ulrich was a POW for 383 days, according to Luna. According to World War 2 POW Archive, Ulrich was held captive from Jan. 31, 1945 to Feb. 18, 1946.
“He endured hunger, disease and beatings,” Luna said, “and he worked on the rail project, which he would sabotage on purpose sometimes.”
Ulrich, who died in 1998 at 81, never sought recognition or assistance in relation to his experiences, according to Luna. But the veteran sure told a lot of stories.
“One was that when they got captured, they got rid of their dog tags so they wouldn’t be identified as Jewish Americans,” Luna said.
Ulrich, raised in Brooklyn, was 27 and already college educated when he enlisted. When he came home, he moved to New Jersey, started his own business and raised his family, Luna said.
“He never took anything from the VA or the government,” he added.
Eighteen years after his death, Ulrich will be honored for the first time.
“We feel like it’s the right thing to do,” Luna said. “We can’t thank him personally but we can say it to his family.”
The Bergen County Administration Building is at One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack.
Those who want to attend the ceremony, held annually on the third Friday in September, must RSVP to 201-336-6325 or veterans@co.bergen.nj.us.
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