James Heimbold — Duty, Honor, Country
Captain Heimbold
Never Forget …
For those who don’t know the Heimbold family of Monmouth Beach — you should. They’ve done a lot of meaningful things for the town and the nation. Their story is profound and lasting.
Monmouth Beach native James Reeve Heimbold was the only borough resident to be killed in action during the Vietnam War. Clearly, Jim Heimbold was a man with impact. The town’s baseball field is named for the guy (dedicated at Griffin Park in June 1972).
While sadly unique in Monmouth Beach, Jim was among nearly 100 heroic Monmouth County residents (and some 1,500 from NJ) to fall in action during that protracted military and political conflict in Southeast Asia. Jim died in a helicopter crash during a military mission three weeks before Christmas 1970. At the time, he was assigned to the 6th Battalion, 14th Field Artillery regiment.
A captain in the US Army at the time, Jim was only 27 and left a young wife, Yvonne, and baby daughter, Heather. Overall, some 58,000 US military service personnel died and 303,000 were wounded during the war which lasted from 1959 to 1975.
“Freedom isn’t free.”
Every year since 1972 the Monmouth Beach School has presented an important community award to a graduating 8th grade student — the Captain James R. Heimbold Memorial Award for Citizenship. Jim graduated from the same school in June 1957 and his class created the honor, led by his devoted classmate, Bev Bradley McClave. The first Heimbold Award recipient was Elizabeth Schaffer. Members of the Rise, Visco, Jones, West and McConville families have twice received this much-prized award.
Born a proud son of New Jersey in February 1943, Jim graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in 1961 and attended Steven’s Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. His family included his twin brother, Joseph, Jr. and sister, Jeanne. His parents, Joseph and Jeanne, moved to Monmouth Beach in 1943 and raised their family on Shorelands. A marketing idea man supreme, Mr. Heimbold, Sr., developed the ground-breaking “tiger in your tank” slogan and ad campaign for Exxon gas in the 1960s.
Captain Heimbold’s grandsons at “The Wall” in Washington, DC.
A career soldier, Captain Heimbold entered the US Army in 1966 and graduated as an outstanding trainee from the Officer Candidate School at the Army Artillery and Missile Center at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. For his service as a battery commander, Captain Heimbold was decorated with the Bronze Star, the US Army Commendation Medal, and a Purple Heart.
“Jim was a guy who never let you down,” said his older sister, Jeanne Boehles, a former teacher and borough resident who now presents his award during annual graduation exercises in Monmouth Beach. “He was an extraordinary human being. To this day I miss him so very much. Citizenship was very important to Jim. And I never saw him lose his temper with another person. So many people loved him and gravitated to him.”
Jeanne said that her brother would be very proud of his daughter, who is today a mother of two sons and a teacher (and an Alaska resident). “She’s really a chip off the old block — a very strong and decent person,” Jeanne explained. “Jim left a very fine legacy.”
His twin brother, Joseph L., Jr., (a former borough school board member and candidate for US Congress in 1976) also served in the military with honor — seeing combat action in Southeast Asia before his brother did. For the dangerous duties of a forward observer, Joe was decorated with a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars for valor. He also holds a Master’s Degree in economics from Northeastern University.
Make the trip: Jim Heimbold’s name is located on Panel 6W, Line 106 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. Visit and pay your respects. It’s worth it. Also visit the NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum in nearby Holmdel — which “recognizes the sacrifices, courage and valor of Vietnam Veterans.” Here’s the website.
More:
• Shorelands of Monmouth Beach: History & Photos — HERE
Captain James R. Heimbold Memorial Field monument at Griffin Park, 2017.
Heimbold Field dedication marker at Griffin Park, 2006.
Heimbold Memorial Field dedication, June 1972. Monsignor Paul Bradley officiated the Griffin Park ceremony attended by the captain’s family. The longtime pastor of St. Michael’s Church in West End (from 1969-1989), Bradley was a war hero too (serving as a US Navy chaplain he was wounded in battle).
The Heimbold twins (Joe and Jim) leaving their Monmouth Parkway home for RBC High School, 1950s. The family loved Shorelands.
Griffin Park, 2018 (Frank Snead Photo).
I was only a “small pip squeak” that lived down the end of Monmouth Parkway when I knew Jim and Joe. I delivered the Daily Record newspaper to their house. They were cool guys. Jim gave me a “Tiger” to affix to my bike to enable it to go faster, LOL.
Jim was my dad’s roommate in the military. My mom remembers Jim fondly and is still impressed that he could make Hollandaise Sauce in a blender. It was so nice to read more about him and hear of the wonderful legacy he has left and all that has been done to honor him.
We mowed the Heimbold’s lawn when we were in 6th-7th grades and the war was on. They were a very generous family and Mr. Hiembold always gave us a Tiger tail. We are told he invented them for Esso to “put a tiger in your tank” and he had boxes of them in the garage.
I remember both of the Heimbold twins. One Sunday sitting in church with my mother, I was singing “Love Me Tender” song and mom kept telling me to be quiet. I was probably about 4 or 5 years old. They we’re sitting behind us and I guess laughing. I’m embarrassed to say that I turned around and spit at them. Mother dragged me out of church.