Plans are well underway to build a monument that will be located on the property of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, which will honor the sacrifices of families who have lost a loved one in defense of the United States. The project is being spearheaded by the New Jersey Run For The Fallen. Hopes are to have the New Jersey Gold Star Family Monument in place and dedicated by the middle of 2014.
The monument will serve as a place of reflection and remembrance for all but especially for those whose loved one made the ultimate sacrifice for their county. Gold Star parents Ken and Helen Gurbisz of Eatontown are co-chairing the committee to develop a design, fund and build the monument. Mr. Gurbisz noted that “We are getting very close to a final design which we hope to unveil at the Gold Star Mothers holiday luncheon on the 7th of December.” .
Ken and Helen be reached via e-mail at [email protected]Donations to complete the project are needed and can be made by mailing a check to:
The New Jersey Gold Star Family Monument Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 104
Holmdel, NJ 07733
Click on this link to make a donation via PayPAL (PayPal account not required.)
On Veterans’ Day, we honor all the men and women who have protected our country and fought for our way of life.
Photographer’s Mate 2nd class Joseph Sharp aboard the USS Forrestal in 1978
Today, I would like to especially thank the Vets of the post-Viet Nam era.
One of my most vivid memories from growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s was watching Mr. Hayes, a tough man and a Vet in my neighborhood, bawling his eyes out as his eldest son went off to Viet Nam. His son came home two years later, but he was different. There was no parade, as the war was still on and increasingly controversial. The younger Hayes was angry and seemingly damaged.
With pictures of casualties on the evening news every night, news of William Calley’s My Lai Massacre trial, the Kent State shootings and protests throughout the country, and witnessing how veterans of Viet Nam had come home changed, military service and the draft was feared by many. Young men went to college, got married and had children or fled to Canada to avoid being drafted into the war. Read the rest of this entry »
Reserve seats now for February 18th private showing at AMC Lowes-Eatontown
Melissa Zimmerman of Red Bank is looking for at least 63 more people to join her for a private showing of Honor Flight, a heartwarming documentary about four World War II veterans and a MidWest community coming together to give them the trip of a lifetime to the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC.
63 more tickets must be pre-sold in order for the private showing to occur. Tickets are $12 and proceeds will benefit Honor Flight Network, the nonprofit organization that has flown over 100,000 WWII vets in their late 80’s and 90’s to Washington, DC to be thanked and honored for their service.
If you’re not attending the Monmouth GOP Lincoln Day Dinner, this would be a good way to spend Presidents Day evening.
Active duty members of all branches of the military will embark on a 172 mile run through New Jersey this weekend to honor every New Jersey service member killed in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
The 4th annual NJ Run For The Fallen will commence with an opening ceremony on Friday morning at 8am at Cape May Lighthouse and close at the NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel on Sunday afternoon at 4. Along the route, groups of 3 members of the military will carry a flag while running 7 miles at the miliatry pace of 8 miles per minute. Each mile of the run is dedicated to a NJ Hero. A 172 mile trail is to be created with flags and personal biographical cards for each fallen soldier from New Jersey.
More information, including the route and schedule can be found here.
Will Serve Veterans & Their Families in Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex Counties Who Are at Risk of Homelessness
Washington, Jul 17 – A $1 million federal grant has been awarded to a non-profit organization to assist low income veterans in Central New Jersey who are at risk of losing their homes, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today.
“This funding will provide much needed housing assistance and stability to veterans in Central New Jersey so that they can remain in their homes even when times are difficult,” said Smith, who worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in support of the grant application.
The grant was awarded this morning to Soldier On, a leader for community-based homeless and at-risk veterans’ housing and services. Soldier On has 15 years of experience developing transitional and permanent housing and successfully creating innovative homeownership opportunities in underserved areas—addressing both the urban and rural needs of local communities. The funding will be provided by through the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grant program.
“Unfortunately, right now, the concentration of veterans and their families in Central New Jersey are without access to prevention and rapid re-housing resources,” said Smith. “With the VA’s green light, Soldier On will now be able to provide very specialized services to address the needs of a very specific population in Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington Counties thereby enabling a federal-private partnership that will truly help our veterans.”
As Fort Monmouth begins its rebirth and enters its redevelopment phase, there is good news for veterans in need. Soldier On, a non-profit organization that works in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies to provide veterans shelter and support, has support of its own among staff of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, (FMERA).
The wide-ranging Soldier On, already successful in Massachusetts and Virginia, was brought to FMERA by Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry, FMERA’s Veteran’s Sub-Committee Chairperson and a voting member of the authority as the representative of the Freeholders. A long-time advocate for veterans’ issues, who has been fighting to keep the Veteran’s Administration Hospital open at the fort, Mrs. Burry researched the program, contacted its President and CEO, Jack Downing, and arranged a meeting between herself, Mr. Downing and FMERA members in October. In November, those who attended the presentation called Soldier On, “awe-inspiring” and, “a tremendously exciting opportunity.” The program must go through the established bid process, but FMERA staff recommended taking the next step to make it a reality at Fort Monmouth.
“The FMERA staff is 100% committed to this,” said Mr. Bruce Steadman, FMERA Executive Director, in expressing his endorsement of the program. “At Mr. Downing’s presentation, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. We want to explore the success he has had with Soldier On. I can’t think of a more important thing to have at Fort Monmouth.” Soldier On has been assisting veterans since 1994. In addition to providing equity-based permanent housing, the program is focused on helping veterans with such things as food, health care, mental health counseling, job assessment, training and placement assistance, as well as treatment and recovery for addiction.
“Soldier On is tailor-made for Fort Monmouth, where there are a large number of veterans who could take advantage of and would benefit from such a program,” Freeholder Burry said. “It is a perfect fit and the facilities are already there and available. Veterans are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the rest of society. There are 275,000 homeless veterans in our country today. Their fight doesn’t end when they get home.” A short, informative and moving film on the program was shown during the November 10 FMERA meeting at the Eatontown municipal building.
Mrs. Burry said that the program’s focus is on single veterans. Soldier On has received 75% federal funding at its other locations. Mr. Downing recently toured Fort Monmouth with FMERA members, identifying existing buildings where the program might be housed, as well as which facilities for it could undergo rehabilitation, said Freeholder Lillian Burry, who is also a member of FMERA’s Real Estate Sub-Committee. The next step, she said, is for FMERA members to make a site visit to the program’s Pittsfield, Massachusetts location.
Freeholder Burry’s aim is to continue to serve the thousands of veterans already associated with the fort, as well as dedicate a portion of the site to the needs of younger and returning veterans. She believes that together with the proposed expanded veteran’s clinic and the Vet2Vet intervention program she is also working to bring to the fort, Soldier On will create a state-of-the-art full service veterans hub at Fort Monmouth; continuing it’s role as a centralized location where all veterans can turn for assistance and support. Mr. Downing has agreed to direct and help set up the program, working closely with the FMERA staff.
“We assist veterans with both picking up the pieces of their lives and filling in the gaps that public agencies do not address,” Mr. Downing said. “At our core, Soldier On is about integrity: The integrity of veteran residents, the integrity of staff, and the integrity of our commitment to work tirelessly to improve the lives of veterans in the community at large.”
The program currently operates a 165-bed shelter in two buildings leased from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, Massachusetts, and the Berkshire Veterans Residence, a transitional living facility. These facilities are managed by formerly homeless veterans; an approach that ensures that those served are empowered and take a role in creating and maintaining their own living environment. The organization’s website is www.wesoldieron.org.
“Soldier On’s premise is that ownership is most important,” Freeholder Burry said. “Mr. Downing has such a grasp of it all. He really understands. Fellow veterans manage and serve their peers and there will be a property manager on site.”
Freeholder Burry has been involved in working on the future of Fort Monmouth for over six years; first as a member of the of the original Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority, (FMERPA) and now on FMERA. She was appointed to both bodies by two sitting governors and unanimously approved by her fellow freeholders, who acknowledged that with her background, knowledge and passion for veteran’s issues, she is the best person for the job.
After 94 years of service, Fort Monmouth officially closed on September 15 with an inactivation and color casing ceremony. In 2005, Fort Monmouth was selected for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure, (BRAC), Commission and moved its operations to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The BRAC decision called for the transfer of 4,950 civilian and 450 military positions.
Signed into law by Governor Chris Christie on August 17, 2010, FMERA was created to provide investment, continuity and economic growth to the communities impacted by the federal government’s decision to close Fort Monmouth. The FMERA replaces the previous Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority and advances that entity’s Reuse and Redevelopment Plan for economic development, growth and planning, with a focus on technology-based industries for the 1,126-acre fort property, which straddles Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls.
At its height, Fort Monmouth employed 15,000 people, 5,000 of those civilians. It’s estimated that the fort supported another 22,000 jobs and added $3.2 billion into the state’s annual economy. It is the mission of FMERA to attract a mix of industry, business, recreation and residential stakeholders to create a new future for the former base.
….from your holiday weekend, be sure to check out the video biography of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Cpl Bud Thorne.
The video, An American Hero, was first produced for the 50th anniversary of the Thorne Middle School in Middletown. It was shown again last Thursday as part of the Battle of the Bulge Survivors Reunion and Monument Rededication which took place at the school.
For me, and I hope the many others who have never experienced war first hand nor lost a loved one to battle, viewing the video deepened my gratitude for all veterans as well as for the men and women who are currently serving in the military.
Thank you to Edith Nowels, Thorne’s sister, for providing the video for MMM readers.
Nowels is a hero too.
She has done a tremendous job reuniting WWII vets and making sure we have an opportunity to express our gratitude before they pass. But Edith never stops to take a breath, even after such a successful event like the reunion on Thursday. When I reached her over the weekend while I was writing the story on the reunion, Edith was on the road delivering Thank You cards to veterans in nursing homes and at VFW posts.
Plans are well underway to build a monument that will be located on the property of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, which will honor the sacrifices of families who have lost a loved one in defense of the United States. The project is being spearheaded by the New Jersey Run For The Fallen. Hopes are to have the New Jersey Gold Star Family Monument in place and dedicated by the middle of 2014.
