On Sunday, November 9, veterans and their families attended the Freeholder Board’s annual Veterans Day observance on Veterans Island, located at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken.
“Veterans Island serves as a lasting tribute to Camden County’s Veterans from all wars,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Ed McDonnell, liaison to the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs. “The Freeholder Board invites all county residents to this park to reflect on the contributions of the men and women, past and present, who have faithfully served our nation.”
During the program, Freeholder Deputy Director McDonnell presented Camden County Military Service Medals to Col. Jerome R. Heath, John Pappas, Dominic J. Vesper, Sr., and John Wilson. The Camden County Military Service Medal was created by the Freeholder Board to honor the men and women who have made Camden County proud by serving their country with honor and valor.
The Freeholder Board also took the opportunity to honor and remember 16 Camden County service members who lost their lives during the war on terror. Among them were three from Pennsauken: Corporal Terrence P. Allen, United States Marine Corps; Sergeant Michael Egan, United States Army; and Captain Maria I. Ortiz, United States Army.
Veteran’s Island contains six memorial plaques and meditative areas honoring Camden County residents killed in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and during the Desert Shield/Desert Storm battle. A sixth section is dedicated to the Global War on Terror that began with the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Each memorial area consists of a paved semi-circle with a plaque, two benches and landscaping.
The island also features American flags flanked by service flags also fly on Veterans Island to honor veterans of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines. An architectural highlight is the American Flag Paved Plaza along the walkway around the perimeter.
The ceremony is co-sponsored by the Freeholder Board’s Office of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Camden County Veterans Advisory Committee.
