CHERRY HILL – Francis J. McArdle Jr., a Vietnam War veteran and Camden Catholic High School alumnus, was remembered by his alma mater Nov. 11 with the presentation of a scholarship in his name.
Maryanne Rush, McArdle’s surviving sister, choked back tears as she remembered her brother on Veterans Day. “Today touches my heart that he can be honored. If Franny were here today, I know he’d be happy to give his money for a student scholarship.”
The Francis J. McArdle Jr. Scholarship was awarded to senior Luke Wolpert during a presentation at the school that included McArdle’s family and friends, veterans and active duty personnel, and the school community. The scholarship – $1,000 a year, for four years – will be given annually to a Camden Catholic student whose parent is a veteran or active duty service member. Wolpert’s mother, Kim, is a Navy veteran who served in the Gulf War.
McArdle, Class of 1966, was two years ahead of Rush when they attended Camden Catholic. The family – which included their parents and another younger sister – first lived in southwest Philadelphia, and later Pennsauken. They also had ties to Saint Peter Parish in Merchantville.
Rush remembered her brother as quiet and intelligent. “He was smarter than me, so I had to work hard to keep up.”
After graduation, McArdle attended the University of Notre Dame on scholarship for one year; he then opted to become a part-time student at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. Shortly after, he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Division in 1968, he completed his tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970 and received a Bronze Star. However, upon returning home, McArdle’s fight continued.
“He paid an extraordinary price for his service,” Rush said. “As a disabled veteran, he struggled to forget and forgive the horrors of war. His life was never the same.”
Despite these struggles, McArdle wanted to help others. He was a member of the Disabled American Veterans of New Jersey and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6650 in Ocean City. He also served as an usher at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Ocean City, which is now part of Saint Damien Parish.
The idea for the scholarship came from McArdle’s former classmates, who are also war veterans. They said they wanted to make sure their friend was remembered for his sacrifices.
James Calore, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said he and McArdle were inseparable during their time at Camden Catholic; they both even joined the wrestling squad.
“We did everything together. We listened to the same music, argued over Beatles vs. [Rolling] Stones,” he said with a smile. “Franny was quick with a laugh, a happy kid, street smart.”
Six months after arriving in Vietnam, McArdle wrote to Calore, who was then stationed in the Philippines. “He had R&R [rest and recuperation] time, so I told him to come down to Manila,” Calore remembered.
McArdle and Calore got together with William Lanza, another Camden Catholic classmate and serviceman, and the three had a memorable weekend catching up and relaxing. “We all had a great time,” Calore recalled. “I’ve never laughed as hard as I did then.”
When McArdle and Calore met again two years later, in 1970, the mood was much different.
“I met him the day he got out, in July, in a little cottage in Sea Isle City,” Calore said, his face dropping. “I knew right away something was wrong. He wasn’t the same.”
McArdle died in 1993 at age 44, from complications from his time in Vietnam.
“He didn’t die in Vietnam, but he was killed by the war,” Calore said.
Now, with the annual scholarship that bears his name, “Franny isn’t just a forgotten kid, a number, a casualty – his name will go on,” Calore said.
After the scholarship presentation in the school’s auditorium, Rory Sweeney, school president, led a procession outside. He placed a wreath at the base of the school’s flag pole in honor of all who have faithfully served the country.
Father Stephen Robbins, the school’s director of Catholic Identity, led the community in prayer, giving “thanks and praise to all those men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. We thank you, Lord, for their witness.”
Wolpert said he couldn’t be more thankful for the sacrifices of veterans like his mother and McArdle.
“I’m inspired by his impact,” Wolpert said, adding that McArdle’s life proves that “it’s not about how long you’re on this earth, but about how you can help others.”
Sweeney agreed, saying that McArdle is an example that “what we do, day in and day out, has a ripple effect that will bear great fruit, whether we see it or not.”
“I’m pleased that we were able to bring together Fran’s friends, his family and the Camden Catholic community to honor his life,” Sweeney continued. “His willingness to serve in Vietnam, and continuing to serve after coming home – even through his challenges – shows that Camden Catholic’s values of faith, honor, and loyalty shined through him.”
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