Arthur Seltzer
Seltzer, a World War II Army veteran of D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of Dachau, was nearly silenced by all the tragedy he saw, but he began to open up to his family, and then the community, in recent years, bringing to light his actions during one of history’s greatest battles. On Nov. 22, at the 9th Annual Feed the Troops Thanksgiving Day Celebration in Cherry Hill, he will receive an honor that’s been 68 years in the making—the Bronze Star. Seltzer, 87, the former Jewish War Veterans New Jersey State and Post 126 commander, blew up radio equipment as the enemy advanced during the Battle of the Bulge, putting himself in danger before retreating, to ensure it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. He was supposed to be bestowed the Bronze Star in 1966, but it never came. His former commander saw a recent news segment on Fox News, in which Seltzer described his harrowing experiences on Omaha Beach and throughout Europe, and was able to verify the missing information needed for Seltzer to receive this well-deserved honor.