rap #87 05/20/09
FREEHOLDER LITTLE ASKS RESIDENTS TO REMEMBER MEMORIAL DAY AND THE SACRIFICES MADE BY OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM
AS MEN AND WOMEN wearing the uniform of the United States military remain engaged on the front lines in Iraq and
Afghanistan, Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little asked all Ocean County residents to remember all those who have
served on this Memorial Day.
“Everyone wants to enjoy a three-day weekend and the start of the summer season, but I hope everyone will take
the time to honor both our veterans and those brave servicemen and women fighting for our freedom today.”
This week the Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau and a small army of volunteers completed the traditional
placing of American Flags on the graves of veterans in all of the county’s cemeteries.
“We’ve been doing this since the 1920s and it’s a fitting way to remember those who have given so much for their
nation,” Little said “Anyone who visits a cemetery this weekend and sees a flag will know a brave man or woman lies in
that grave.”
This year, 16,524 flags were distributed, said Little, who is also liaison to the Veterans Service Bureau.
Little also encouraged residents to attend one of the many ceremonies or parades slated for the weekend.
Toms River’s annual Memorial Day Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25 at Main Street and Highland Parkway
and proceeds south to Washington Street and Town Hall.
Little will be attending an 11 a.m. ceremony on Saturday in the Borough of Surf City, a noontime parade in Point
Pleasant on Sunday and a Jewish War Veterans
Service at 11 a.m. Monday at Leisure Village West in Manchester Township.
Also on Saturday, the Ocean County Deceased Veterans Association will gather for an 11 a.m. wreath-laying
ceremony at the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library.
Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr. said residents can check with their towns for more information on
weekend events. Many other communities and veterans organizations are also hosting ceremonies honoring our fallen heroes.
“Between the barbecues, the picnics and the trips to the beach, let us all remember the true meaning of Memorial
Day,” Bartlett said.
