Thy Cavaganaro, award winning originator of Thanking Vets in Barnegat, and owner of the Amazing Eskis, a group of therapy and action dogs, was the guest speaker at the 6th Annual Veterans Appreciation Lunch hosted by the Middletown Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The luncheon was held at the Holmdel Community Center, and Holmdel Mayor Rocco Impreveduto was on hand to welcome the more than 100 veterans and their families and friends, and thanking them for their years of service in the military.
Middletown DAR Regent Michele Donnelly introduced Mayor Impreveduto, and Esther Chucaralao, NK Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and DAR member Helen Henkel led the gathering in a moment of silence for all deceased veterans.
The color guard from MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook, presented a color guard for the afternoon’s program, a service they have conducted every year since the Veterans lunch was started by the Middletown Chapter. Holmdel High School student Julia Mooney led the group in a rendition of the National Anthem. Sea Smith played a compilation of military and patriotic songs on the bagpipe at the end of the ceremony.
The luncheon also honored the team of three Naval veterans who have led the NJROTC program at MAST for the past 13 years, and who were awarded the NJ DAR Distinguished Citizen Award for their excellence in presenting their program of patriotism, education, leadership and discipline. The three, Commander Tracie Smith Yeoman, Senior Chief Mike Vacarella and Chief Will Fetherman are all navy retirees and all worked at MAST following retirement for 14 years until Smith Yeoman’s retirement from teaching earlier this year.
Donnelly also featured a talk on American history as part of the luncheon, telling the story of the Dutch contributions to United States Independence.
Cavaganaro captivated the crowd with her enthusiastic talk on what it is like to be a Vietnam refugee in America today whose family was living in Vietnam during the war. She spoke on the variety of feelings during American militia during that era, the impact of the war on families such as her own, their efforts to live through the war, leave the nation rather than suffer under the Vietcong, and how her family, with her as a young child, managed to come to America and a better life. Cavaganaro showed her pride in being a refugee and the difference enthusiasm for this country and its military has been received.
The luncheon was sponsored by a number of sponsors and supporters including AHEPA Chapter 517, Circle Hyundai, Joseph J. Grano Family Office, ECHL.Inc., Henkel Family, Manning Family, Patriot Bot Hauling, Rocar Properties, Veteran Auto Repair, DeMarco’s, Whole Foods, Acme, Stop & Shop, Tractor Supply and WaWa.
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [a]Him in love, 5 by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In [b]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight, 9 making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him 10 for an administration of the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things [c]in the heavens and things on the earth in Him. 11 In [d]Him, we also [e]have been made an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who first have hoped in [f]Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In [g]Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [h]believed, you were sealed in [i]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [j]given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Veterans Veterans Veterans
