Veterans Day At The N.J. Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation was host to a Veterans Day ceremony at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel. Approximately 400 people attended the commemorative event, which was held in the Memorial’s courtyard, surrounded by the circular, black granite wall bearing the names of 1,557 New Jerseyians whose lives were lost in the Vietnam War.

The Keynote Speaker was retired Maj. Gen. Joseph T. Anderson, Marine Corps, Associate Director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Maj. Gen. Anderson, a 1968 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is a Vietnam veteran fighter pilot, whose last assignment was as Commanding General of the First Marine Aircraft Wing. The Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located in Chantilly, Va, near Washington Dulles
International Airport, displays in open hangar settings, 119 aircraft and 142 large space artifacts, along with more than 1,500 smaller objects, and welcomes more than one million visitors a year.

Two New Jersey Vietnam Veterans – Leo P. Staub (USMC) from Manahawkin, who died July 1, 2003, and Andrew L. Toth (USA) from Edison, who died Dec. 23, 2002 – were inducted into the In Memory Program, which honors those who served in Vietnam and returned home but died later as a result of wounds received in Vietnam. As part of the ceremony, family members spoke about their loved one and lit a candle in their memory. Following the ceremony, attendees
enjoyed an Open House in the adjacent Vietnam Era Educational Center, which includes a museum and research library.

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and the Vietnam Era Educational Center are located on the grounds of the PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, Monmouth County, (Garden State Parkway exit 116). The Memorial and Educational Center are maintained through a partnership between the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular
adult admission is $4; student and senior citizen admission is $2 and children under 10 are admitted free.

Other Veterans Day Highlights

Vets Awarded Jubilee Of Liberty Medal
Some 45 veterans of the Normandy invasion were awarded the Jubilee Of Liberty Medal Nov. 11 in Paramus. Created by the French Government in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion June 6, 1944, the Medal is presented to veterans of the Allied Forces who participated. Congressman Scott Garrett, 5th District, facilitated the award of this medallion to eligible constituents in a ceremony at Bergen County Community College. Assisting with the ceremony was a color guard comprised of soldiers assigned to the Teaneck Armory.

Guard Supports Vets Day Parade
New Jersey Army National Guard members from the West Orange and Teaneck National Guard Armories provided a color guard, marching unit and vehicle convoy as part of a Veterans Day Parade on Nov 13, sponsored by the Joint Veterans Council of Belleville. The parade culminated at the newly erected Belleville War Memorial, which was dedicated during the parade’s conclusion. Gary Englert, the Director of Veterans Services, was the featured speaker.

Table of Contents
Veterans Outreach Program
DCVA Message
Governor's Letter
WWII Memorial
Memorial Receives Funds / VVMF 10th Anniversary
Veterans Day Highlights
Veterans Benefits
Medicare PDPs
VVMF Veterans Day
One Shots
VSO Listing

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