Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Atlantic County to Honor its Fallen Veterans - Friday, May 22

Atlantic County will honor the memories of its fallen military heroes on Friday, May 22 at 2 PM during the 31st annual Veterans Memorial Program to be held at the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery located in the county park, Route 50, Estell Manor.

The program will feature the Atlantic County Sheriff's Color Guard, the Atlantic County Corrections Officers' Honor Guard; the Atlantic City Fire Department Sandpipers' Pipes and Drums, a bugler and the presentation of the memorial wreath.

"In Atlantic County we begin each Memorial Day weekend with a solemn tribute to our fallen heroes - the men and women who served in military service," County Executive Dennis Levinson stated. "We want to be sure that our residents remember the reason for this holiday and proudly honor the memories of those who gave their lives to protect our own."

This year's keynote address will be presented by Brigantine resident and current New Jersey Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury, Jr. Judge DeLury is a former appellate military judge of the US Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals in Washington, D.C. He was previously appointed as a tribunal president and member to determine the combatant status of Taliban and al Qaida detainees, including 14 high value detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After 25 years of active and reserve service DeLury recently retired from the military bench and the Navy with the grade of Captain.

DeLury received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia and a Juris Doctor degree with international law honors from Rutgers in Camden. Prior to coming to the bench, Judge DeLury was in-house counsel to several companies in the gaming industry. DeLury is a past member of the Brigantine Board of Education and the Atlantic City Convention Center and Visitors Authority.

In preparation for Friday's ceremony, several local boy scout and girl scout troops will place American flags at the more than 4,100 gravesites located within the veterans cemetery on Wednesday, May 20 (rain date: Thursday, May 21). Scouts who perform this task are eligible to receive the Atlantic County Patriotism patch in recognition of their service to veterans.

The Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery was officially dedicated in May,1985 to provide a final resting place for military veterans and their spouses. The cemetery was expanded in 2014 to accommodate an additional 650 plots with more property set aside for future expansion.

County News