A man of many interests, talents and achievements, David Lai-Len has focused on volunteering to help people his entire life. As a Democrat, he says he wavered only once and would have voted for a Republican — Eisenhower — but he was too young to vote!

David is a member of VFW Post 7858 in Bernardsville and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. Post-Army, while living in Connecticut and working in the corporate world, his focus always included volunteer work to help others.  His interests, degrees and studies in technology, law and accounting came into play as he served on zoning boards there. Later, in Berkeley Heights, N.J., he served on the board of education, and on an ad hoc computerization committee.

In 2009 David joined the Liberty Corner First Aid Squad, maintaining the rigorous emergency medical training and certification each year before he retired from corporate life in 2014. After lack of volunteers forced Liberty Corner’s closure in 2022, he joined the Long Hill First Aid Squad. Working with both squads, he has volunteered a total of 16 years of service and 22,000 duty hours.

Last month Lai-Len won the 2025 Veterans of Foreign Wars national award for his years of dedicated service as an emergency medical technician. Presenter Ken Hagemann, New Jersey’s State Jr. Vice Commander, praised David’s “extraordinary and courageous service to the community and the nation.”

Born in New York City of parents whose ancestors immigrated from China, David admires his heritage and continues to work with the Organization of Chinese Americans. He keeps abreast of other causes and institutions he supports such as the Red Cross, the American Legion, the ACLU, immigrant rights, human trafficking and Team Rubicon that provide “hands-on” disaster relief. He has volunteered at out-of-state disaster sites and doesn’t mind the heavy lifting.

Noting the critical need for dedicated volunteers to keep free fire and medical emergency squads functioning, he believes town governments should provide a good, online marketing site to recruit prospects. It would help if volunteers received real estate tax credits as they did in the past. Bernards does offer a “Length of Service Awards Program” (LOSAP) of $1,500 per year served up to retirement, he says, but it isn’t enough of a benefit to attract dedicated squad members.

“It’s easy in an affluent area to throw money at a good cause, but nearly impossible to get the same people physically engaged. It has to come from the heart,” he says. David and his wife Florence live in the Lyons area of Bernards.

– MJ Walsh