Our Team
An ad-hoc group, Friends of Bernie Friedenberg (FBF), which is composed primarily of U.S. Veterans, was formed for the sole purpose of overseeing all aspects related to the manufacture and erection of the Bernie Friedenberg World War II Memorial. Member backgrounds are set out below:
Brigadier General Douglas R. Satterfield, U.S. Army (Retired) - Distinguished Member
Brigadier General Douglas R. Satterfield originally entered the U.S. Army on active duty as a Private.
Seven years later, Satterfield completed his enlisted service as a U.S. Infantry Staff Sergeant as a Basic Training Unit Drill Sergeant. His final duty position as a U.S. Corps of Engineer officer was as Deputy Commander, 412th Engineer Command, where he was responsible for over 12,000 soldiers and civilians. In addition, Satterfield was dual-hatted as the 8th U.S. Field Army Wartime Engineer in South Korea. Satterfield retired from military service in 2014.
During his 40 years of service, Satterfield commanded units from Platoon to Brigade level, with duty in England, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Honduras, South Korea, Japan, Kuwait, Iraq, and multiple stateside locations. Satterfield conducted military missions in 22 foreign countries.
Subsequent to September 11, 2001, Satterfield was deployed to combat on three one-year tours as a combat engineer, and served as one of the senior staff engineers with the 1st Cavalry Division, III Corps Headquarters, and U.S. Forces Iraq.
Satterfield has received the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals and various other medals. He was also awarded the Combat Action Badge, Air Assault Badge, Drill Sergeant Badge, and the coveted Silver de Fleury Medal from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Satterfield holds a Bachelor’s Degree, two Master’s Degrees, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the Joint Forces Staff College, and the Capstone Flag Officers Course.
Satterfield, among other things, currently serves as a member of the Atlantic County Veterans Advisory Board. Satterfield’s family has been a part of the U.S. Military since the Revolutionary War. Satterfield’s daughter, Audrey, is currently an Army Engineer in the 130th Engineer Brigade.
James A. Eberwine - Distinguished Member
James A. Eberwine enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1967, and served as the weather adviser for President Richard M. Nixon’s Marine 1/Army 1 Helicopter flights at the San Clemente Western White House from 1969 to 1971. Eberwine attained the rank of Sergeant E5, and was honorably discharged from the USMC in 1971.
In 1972, Eberwine began a 38-year career with the National Weather Service (NWS). As a Hurricane and Marine Weather Program Manager, Eberwine was responsible for hurricane preparedness for the New Jersey and Delaware coasts; the Northeastern Shore (Chesapeake Bay) of Maryland, and southeast Pennsylvania. From 1977 to 1989, Eberwine worked at the FAA Technical Center, and assisted at the National Hurricane Center as part of the Hurricane Liaison Team that briefed emergency management personnel in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Seaboard. Eberwine also served as the NWS point of contact with TV/media in the Philadelphia/New Jersey market during significant weather events. Eberwine retired from the NWS in 2010.
Eberwine was one of the founders of the New Jersey Emergency Preparedness Conference which is held annually, and has worked closely with the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management, another Conference participant, for approximately 40 years.
Eberwine currently serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator for Absecon, New Jersey. Eberwine also teaches meteorology at Atlantic Cape Community College to fixed wing and helicopter student pilots, air traffic controllers and drone operators. In addition, Eberwine has lectured on Aviation Weather Hazards at the Institutes of Technology for Atlantic and Cape May counties.
Service to country is a family affair in the Eberwine family. Eberwine’s son, Andrew, Andrew’s wife, Myra, and their son John, and daughter, Cristen proudly serve in the 177th Air National Guard at the Atlantic City Airport.
Robert L. Frolow – Distinguished Member
Robert L. Frolow was born and raised in Atlantic City, attended area schools, and attended Saint Joseph’s College (SJC) in Philadelphia, Pa.
Frolow was drafted into military service during his junior year at SJC. Frolow was assigned to the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, 39th Cavalry with the Air Cushion Vehicle Unit. Frolow was sent to Viet Nam in 1969, where he served as a machine gunner/scout. Frolow’s service in the Army earned him three Army Commendation medals, two Bronze Service Stars, the Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Combat Infantry Man’s Badge, and the Good Conduct Medal. Frolow was honorably discharged from the Army in July 1970.
After his discharge, Frolow completed his college education, and briefly taught at Atlantic City High School. Frolow thereafter had a long career in the Insurance industry, which ultimately led to his appointment as the Corporate Risk Manager for the Showboat Casino/Hotel in Atlantic City. Deteriorating market conditions in Atlantic City later forced Frolow to return to the Commercial Insurance field.
With a service-connected disability, Frolow was selected as Atlantic County, New Jersey’s first Veterans Service Officer. As a Service Officer, Frolow has, for many years, dealt with a wide range of issues facing hundreds of local veterans and their families. As part of his duties, Frolow has ensured that every veteran with a valid claim for a service-related entitlement obtains a fair hearing. Frolow’s attention to detail in hearing preparations has almost always resulted in positive outcomes for these veterans and their families.
Frolow is a member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and has been a driving force in the Atlantic County Veterans Advisory Board (ACVAB).
In 2019, Frolow was bestowed with the “Legion of Honor” by the Chapel of the Four Chaplains, for his outstanding service to the veterans of Atlantic County and the State of New Jersey.
Marco Polo Smigliani – Co-Chairman
Marco Polo Smigliani immigrated to the U.S. from Italy at the age of 10. At age 17, Smigliani joined the United States Merchant Marines (MM) as a seaman, and traveled aboard MM vessels to combat zones in Viet Nam, providing materials and supplies to U.S. forces in that country. Smigliani later enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and was sent to Viet Nam as a member of the USMC 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. During the Viet Nam war, the “1/9” had the highest casualty rate in USMC history. Smigliani was awarded four (4) Purple Hearts by the USMC, resulting from four separate combat injuries he sustained in Viet Nam. After his honorable discharge from the USMC, Smigliani rejoined the MM, and again sailed into combat zones, providing supplies to troops in Viet Nam.
Following the war, Smigliani was employed as a Deputy Sheriff in Florida for three years, and later in the gaming industry in Las Vegas for six years. Smigliani and his wife returned to New Jersey, where they opened and operated a restaurant in Pleasantville that supported a reading program with local schools.
Smigliani has served as a Veterans Advocate in Southern New Jersey for twenty years, providing advice and guidance to over one hundred veterans and their families on service-related matters. Smigliani has also served on the Atlantic County Veterans Advisory Board (ACVAB), where he played a prominent role in the dedication of a wing of the Meadowview Nursing Home for the exclusive care of veterans. Smigliani and other ACVAB members also formed the South Jersey Veterans Consortium, whose efforts resulted in the creation of the Vineland Veterans Clinic and the Cape May Veterans Clinic which is currently under construction.
Smigliani is a member of the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, the Marine Corps League, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Viet Nam Veterans of America, the 1/9 Network (a reunion group of his former battalion in Viet Nam, and the Military and Veterans Board of Stockton University.
In 2007, Smigliani was inducted into the Purple Heart National Honor Roll. In 2019, Smigliani was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award by the Chapel of the Four Chaplains, a nationally-recognized Foundation that recognizes selfless service to Americans.