OCEAN CITY — Hundreds attended a solemn ceremony May 25 at the Ocean City Tabernacle to pay tribute to their hometown heroes during the annual Memorial Day service.
“This Memorial Day celebration is special because it falls on our 250th anniversary of our nation. As we celebrate this milestone, we must honor the generations of American soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend the freedoms of which our country is built,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. “Their courage, service and devotion to duty have shaped the course of history and safeguarded our country for future generations.”
The holiday draws tens of thousands of visitors to the island each year, but the wet and windy weekend was not the only thing casting a shadow over the unofficial start of summer.
A week before, a young man went missing while riding a boogie board at 10th Street, where the beach remained unguarded May 18.
“It was one of those weeks that I keep getting reminders of how fragile life can be,” Gillian told those in attendance, noting that dealing with situations like that is among the hardest things to have to do as mayor. “It humbles you about different things.”
The mayor marveled at how the community came together to care for the affected family.
“The one thing it triggered was community. The one thing I’ve tried to say as I’ve been mayor is it’s about a community all working together,” he said.
Gillian said the same sense of community exists among the city veterans groups and first responders.
“The compassion that they showed the family this week was something that was absolutely amazing and it really got them through probably one of the hardest times of their lives,” he said.
Marine Aircraft Group 49 of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst presented colors following the invocation by Bill Holt, chaplain of American Legion Morvay-Miley-Cruice Post 524.
Miss New Jersey Teen Delaney Higgins signed as Miss New Jersey Belle Nicholas sang the national anthem.
Jim Warf, senior vice commander of American Legion Post 524, and George Meyers of VFW Post 6650 led the Pledge of Allegiance.
An Armed Forces Medley treated the crowd to the songs representing each branch of the armed services. A member of each branch marched with a flag and those who served in each branch stood for recognition.
Bill McDermott represented the U.S. Army, Jim Bowman the U.S. Navy. Paul Banfe marched for the Air Force and Clark Manley for the Marines. Gene Weber did the same for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Gillian led the dedication of a POW/MIA National Chair of Honor, which was installed at Veterans Memorial Park.
“We’re here today to remember those who became prisoners of war or missing in action. These are the men and women who answered the call of duty but never came home,” he said. “This unoccupied seat is dedicated to the memory of those brave men and women, to the sacrifices each made in serving our country.”
The mayor said the city would continue to honor its veterans.
“That’s one of the things that we’re going to keep on doing is make Veterans Field a staple of Ocean City,” he said.
The New Jersey Children of the American Revolution (NJCAR) unveiled a Patriot Privateers Historical Marker, noting the role shore communities played in the American Revolution.
“They helped our nation win the freedom that so many other men and women have helped defend for the next 250 years,” Gillian said. “That’s what this day is all about, paying tribute to those who served our country, and more importantly, remember those who never returned.”
NJCAR Honorary State President Will Zabinski, who led the Patriot Privateers Project over the past year, spoke about the marker, which is also at Veterans Memorial Park.
“As we celebrate the United States’ semiquincentennial, we recognize the important role that Jersey Shore communities and their citizens played in the American Revolutionary War, including the contributions of privateers in the naval battles that occurred near New Jersey beaches,” Zabinski said.
He explained that the United States had limited resources to build a navy at the beginning of the revolution. Starting in 1776, the Continental Congress issued letters of marque authorizing privateering.
“These privately owned and armed vessels were permitted to capture British merchant ships and seize cargo, weakening British commerce and supporting the American cause,” he said.
Privateering carried great risk. The British considered privateers pirates, and those captured often suffered harsh imprisonment under brutal conditions aboard British ships.
“The waters off Ocean City saw significant Revolutionary War activity,” Zabinski said.
More than 10 naval engagements occurred off Great Egg Harbor Bay. In March 1777, Col. Richard Somers led the New Jersey 3rd Battalion of the Gloucester County Militia in the seizure of British ship Defiance, which had been operating at Great Egg Harbor. In April 1779, the British brigantine Delight was forced ashore at Peck’s Beach, now Ocean City, where its crew and cargo were captured by local militia.
Jack Hagan, adjutant of Post 524, discussed the POW/MIA.
“The sweetness of an enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured, and may still be enduring, the agonies of pain, deprivation and imprisonment,” he said.
– STORY and PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
