The Highlands Business Partnership will host its first Annual Pride Fest in the Park, in Huddy Park on Bay & Waterwitch Avenues, Saturday, June 10 from noon to 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free. The rain date is June 11.
Pride Fest in the Park will feature live music, a Beer, Wine and Sangria Garden, and a variety of specialty vendors. Food trucks include local favorites, Chilangos, L’Acquario Seafood Italiano, El Gaucho BBQ and Best Day Ever Ice Cream. Empire Beats will take the stage at 2:00pm, with a variety of funky and familiar Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll, and Pop music favorites that will have you dancing!
“Pride has always been a celebration of the uniqueness of you, no matter who you are.”, said Mayor Carolyn Broullon. “Regardless of how you look, act, feel, love or worship, you should do you in the way you feel the most comfortable”, she added.
Sponsors of Pride Fest in the Park 2023 include NJ State Department of Travel & Tourism, Monmouth County Tourism, Montecalvo/Bayshore Family of Companies, Bahrs Landing, Farmacie, Feed & Seed, Dovetail Vintage Rentals, Hufnagel Tree Experts, In the Garden, Inlet Café, Off the Hook, Proving Ground, Seafarer, Sandbox at Seastreak, and WRAT, 95.9.
For more information on Pride Fest or the Highlands Business Partnership’s other events or programs, please visit www.highlandsnj.com or call 732-291-4713.
It took an hour and a half in closed executive session reportedly spent entirely on discussing the matter with their attorney, but in the end the boards of education of Henry Hudson, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands schools unanimously passed a resolution approving The Busch Law Group, to expand its duties as special counsel on the question of School District regionalization of the three schools and Sea Bright.
Fight
The resolution states that the expansion of the firm’s duties includes a defense of the action filed by Oceanport and Shore Regional. The two school districts who are opposing Sea Bright putting a question on the ballot to let voters decide whether students in that borough can be included in a tri-borough regional school district with Highlands and Atlantic Highlands.
The resolution agreed upon points out that the current three Boards of Education previously approved the Busch Law Group under a retainer agreement in any matters related to the proposed school district regionalization. Who are also are parties to a Hold Harmless Agreement with Sea Bright. That agreement, the resolution says, calls for legal defense to be provided against actions by Oceanport or Shore Regional concerning school district regionalization.
Petition
The state Commissioner of Education had dismissed an earlier petition filed by the Oceanport and Shore Regional since there was no petition from the three towns before her. With that petition now under consideration by the state Commissioner, the petition from Oceanport and Shore Regional opposing the school district regionalization have taken their petition of the action before the Appellate Court.
It is that action that makes the three boards of education feel they must provide a separate defense to any Appellate Court action.
Who’s Involved?
Since the meeting of the three boards, as all meetings of the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education, are held in the gym with insufficient audio equipment to hear all the board members, Venividiscripto asked Superintendent Tara Beams for the names of the board members who were present, or absent, from this meeting. Since the resolution for the Busch Group indicated no amount of money to be paid for continuing, VeniVidiScripto also asked Dr. Beams, who was present at the meeting, if an OPRA request was necessary to get the figure.
Denied
Information to both queries was denied by the superintendent, who responded with the following e-mail “You may file an OPRA request for the minutes of the meeting which will indicate the attendance of all BOE members once those minutes have been Board approved. They will also be posted to the district websites after they have Board approval as are all of our meeting minutes. You may also file an OPRA request regarding the information you requested about The Busch Law Group. Please note that Mrs. Molly Murphy is conflicted in the regionalization matter and does not attend special meetings related to regionalization.”
The Atlantic Highlands Library! Not only the library, but the great people who work there! They’re pleasant, downright helpful and eager to share whatever is new, different or exciting there. Check out some of the newest books they are featuring on display. They even have shelves of free books including recipes, novels, history and children’s books. There are brochures there on summer camp and of course all their special events.
Tomorrow the Garden Club is paying a visit at 3:15 to the library just to tell everyone about monarch butterflies, why they are important and how to help them survive!
Also tomorrow, the Summer Reading Challenge starts for the kids. Preschoolers can join the 1,000 books before kindergarten challenge as well as logbooks and that sounds challenging at the very least! For those who want to get the Beanstack Tracker for the challenge, it’s free and available HERE
One of my favorite programs at the library is coming up on June 22 at 3:15 and it’s just fun to watch and see how animated the children get. That’s when youngsters can practice their reading skills and either read or show pictures in books to a trained therapy dog! Amazing to watch humans and canines share the joy of a good book.
The Girl’s Cafe
The Girls Café always makes everybody feel happy but even more so with Mikey keeping the outdoor dining so beautiful, clean and colorful! There isn’t anyone who takes more care in helping others and making someone feel a little happier or more appreciative of nature than Mikey. And the Girls at the Café appreciate everything he does for sure! So do all the customers!
Shared a fun minute with another early morning walker today. She was walking her dog on one side of Ave C, I on walking in the opposite direction on the other when we both heard a bird singing so loudly in a tree. We both stopped to listen. For a minute, we both stood in silence while that little bird, which neither of us could spot, sang his heart out and made the day seem happy. When he stopped singing and we noticed that each other had stopped, we laughed, commented on the wonderful song and continued on our way. But it made the day start even better than usual, too! Take the time to notice the little things when you wall…the singing birds, the new buds on a tree, the bright flowers in a garden, and the neat, lush lawns in front of well cared for homes.
What was a new, large storage shed on sale locally on Route 36 is now a neat, trim and utilitarian office for the Public Works Director, thanks to a wise purchase and a lot of effort and creativity by the Atlantic Highlands Public Works Department employees.
Where DPW Director Jim Phillips had been housed in a small room in the back of the Water Plant he now can keep his files in neat orderly cabinets lining one wall of his new office while at the same time having a bird’s eye view of the entire public works yard located off West Avenue.
Robert Ferragina, Borough Administrator authorized the purchase of the storage shed, while employees from the public works department provided the energy and talent to convert it to an office, complete with steps and a ramp for access (donated by the AHFD Inc.). Phillips’ desk is on one side of the room with chairs for DPW meetings or meetings with borough residents, who often reach out to Mr. Phillips with questions or comments.
On the wall are displayed some of Phillips’ certificates showing the classes and certifications he has completed since first being hired by the borough on July 1st of 1990. In 2017, he was named acting DPW Director, then in 2018 assumed the title as Director when he had completed the New Jersey State required certifications.
Phillips and his employees also showed their ingenuity in recycling and refurbishing when they transformed the shed into an office. For example, the two original barn doors on the shed were removed and replaced with a new insulated door. The wall of filing cabinets are cabinets that were all discarded in the recycling yard, reclaimed, cleaned, repaired and painted. The building has been strung with electric, fully insulated and sheet rocked. There are cameras showing the entire yard and all work was permitted through the Borough.
Phillips also noted that his new office allows him to be more accessible to residents who stop to ask whether something should be recycled or placed in trash, other questions, or new residents who have a need for brochures, borough calendars, or other information on anything to do with public works.
The new office is part of a series of improvements that has taken place in the yard over the past year and a half. This includes new flags, including an American flag over the garage, improved lighting, and the continuing upkeep of all the grounds. In addition, large refurbished decorative pots have been placed in front of the new office; Phillips already has plans for recycling the plants once they outgrow the pots.
The presence of employees in the immediate area also deters any residents who don’t dispose of recyclables properly to ensure safety and proper disposals in the proper areas for recycling papers, glass, metal and office equipment.
In expressing appreciation to the public works employees, Ferragina noted “We pride ourselves as having a great public works department. Therefore, our objective is an improved work environment for the borough employees while providing a more aesthetic appearance of the Public Works yard for those residents who proactively visit that location for recycling and other functions. Mr. Phillips and his team have done a tremendous job while being prudent and conscientious with the limited funds at their disposal. “
Monmouth County Commissioner Lillian Burry, Chair of the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee once again brought the 21st century Thomas Jefferson to the Cedar Drive School, a tradition she started several years ago.
Although unable to attend this year, Commissioner Burry, long recognized as an admirer of the third President of the United States, wrote the following excerpt in commemoration of The President’s birthday on April 13. “This has been my opinion that sealed my convictions completely and constructively.
Thomas Jefferson was a man for his time, most assuredly, but more than that, for all time. He founded the University of Virginia, then went on to design its great Rotunda. He designed the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, then served as Governor for two terms. He served under the two first Presidents of the United States, was the first Secretary of State, then went on to serve two terms as the president himself. And all of that more than a decade after he drafted the nation’s Declaration of Independence and created the foundation for the United States of America.”
When a student asked of his accomplishments, today’s Mr.Jefferson stated how he left specific wording for his monument upon his death:
HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON, AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.” And “because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.”
Jefferson, portrayed by Steve Edenbo of the American Historical Theatre in Philadelphia, engaged the students, Principal Rigby and the 6th grade staff, members of the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee and Monmouth County Historical Commission with history from Jefferson’s time.
The key point he highlighted to students was the importance of five words in the Declaration of Independence, “All men are created equal.”
After a question and answer session, Mr. Jefferson was met with much high-spirited applause.
The annual Pass in Review ceremony at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology also marks the last time the senior class Cadets appears in their military NJROTCuniforms and the new Battalion Leadership for the current school year steps down and introduces the leadership Battalion for the 2023-24 school year.
There are also several community organizations who are very supportive of the NJROTC program and recognize cadets who stand out from their peers in a way that is in accordance with the principles of each particular organization.
Not that every cadet of the Class of 2023 is not honored and recognized for outstanding achievements throughout the year. The 12 senior cadets who participated in the NJROTC national drill contest in Pensacola last month together received 72 full scholarships to colleges, universities and the military academies.
Currently, MAST graduates are in West Point, Annapolis, the Air Force, and the Merchant Marine academies, with two of this year’s graduates going to the Naval Academy after graduation. Each of the MAST graduates who applied for scholarships has earned at least one. Two students are going to college on ROTC scholarships.
At the Pass in Review, Gail Han, Honorary Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, presented certificates and medals to seniors and underclassmen Cadets Isabella Colgan, Abigail Hesterhagen and Angelina Vaclavik. Their citations read:
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution has awarded the bronze ROTC medal in recognition of outstanding leadership qualities, military bearing, and excellence, thus exemplifying the high ideals and principles which motivated and sustained our patriot ancestors.
The citation was signed by both Ms. Hahn and. Signed Gail Hahn, Honorary Regent, and Julia Miller Rogers, National Chair.
Ed Glidden presented the National Society of the Sons of American Revolution award for outstanding leadership qualities, military bearing and principles which motivated and sustained patriot ancestors to Cadet Noah Cuttrell.
Glidden also presented the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War award to Cadet Brandon Weiss because of his demonstrated high degree of patriotism to his nation and superb academic performance and leadership. The organization is a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of veteran heroes who fought and worked to save the Union in the American Civil War.
The Military Officers Association of America, a professional association of US military officers that advocates for both a strong national defense, and government policies that benefit military members and their families also presented awards. William Guderian Captain, USN (ret) of the New Jersey Lakes and Pines Chapter presented the MOAA JROTC medal to Cadet Sam Puleio for having demonstrated exceptional potential for military leadership as a member of the MAST’s NJROTC unit.
Lieutenant Colonel Sands of The National Sojourners, an American patriotic organization of Freemasons who serve or have served in the uniformed services present awards to support and promote patriotic and Masonic activities and values presented award that recognize cadets who have encouraged and demonstrated the ideals of Americanism by deed or conduct and demonstrate potential for outstanding leadership to Cadet Tejas Rajan.
The National Sojourners also sponsor an annual nationwide essay contest. This year’s essay prompt was to describe a document, law, Supreme Court decision, or an amendment to the Constitution that had a great impact to both the United States and to the community of nations. Cadet Grant Smithwrote about the impact of the 13th amendment to the US Constitution and placed third in the nation, receiving a $1000 scholarship. Lt.Col. Sands presented the award to Cadet Smith.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization comprised of combat-wounded veterans who strive to promote patriotism, goodwill, camaraderie, and service to all veterans and their families, presented Cadet Abdelrahman Agami with a certificate and medal based on his exemplary leadership demonstrated while enrolled in a Junior Reserve Officer Training Course.
Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman, senior naval instructor at MAST, presented for The Military Order of the World Wars, a patriotic veterans service organization founded in 1919 by officers who served under General of the Armies John J. “Blackjack” Pershing. The purpose of the Order is to promote patriotism, civic responsibility, public service and leadership in the nation’s communities. Their motto is “It is nobler to serve than to be served.” The organization presented its JROTC Award of Merit to Cadet Jack Arhanic.
The citation reads:
For improvement in military proficiency, academic studies and community actions. By his actions, Cadet Arhanic displays the potential for future military leadership. His attitude towards service to the United States of America is an example to his classmates
The citation was signed by Lt Col. William Rapp, Commander of New Jersey chapter #246. The American Legion is the organization whose missions is to enhance the well-being of America’s veterans, their families, the military, and communities by their devotion to mutual helpfulness. Legion Post #346 in Neptune presented the medal of Military Excellence to Cadet Ronan Alo and the Medal of Academic Excellence to Cadet Jake Lindmark.
Unit 346 of the American Legion Auxiliary, an organization which supports the American Legion advocated for veterans, educates citizens, mentors youth, and promotes patriotism, good citizenship, peace and security. That unit presented the Medal of Military Excellence to Cadet Summer Sesty, and the medal of Academic Excellence to Cadet Emily Gravina.
The Surface Navy Association promotes greater coordination and communication to those in the military, business, and academic communities, who share a common interest in Surface Warfare. Commander Smith-Yeoman, in presenting the award, noted that Stephen Decatur, one of America’s earliest naval heroes, commanded several ships during the Revolutionary War, and is the youngest person to reach the rank of captain in the history of the Navy. The Surface Navy Association presented awards in his name Cadets Erin White and Cadet Gregory Noll, signed, Richard Hunt, Vice Admiral, US Navy Retired, President of the Association.
In the tradition of MAST, at the end of the ceremony, Cadet Lieutenant Commander James Treshock, the outgoing deputy battalion commander, introduced each of the cadets from the outgoing Senior Class as they walked under an arch of swords to symbolize their transition from NJROTC cadets and MAST students to graduates and alumni of the school.
Members of the Rumson Fair Haven HS Veteran’s Appreciation Club, from left are
Mr. Eric Zullo -Club Sponsor, Mickey Schroeder, Kevin Medrow, Jack Butler,Will Roe
Amanda Gettings, Catherine Reid, Griffin Izzo, and Patrick Thompson
Flags
American Legion Post 141 of Atlantic Highlands, its Commander, Peter Doyle, students from MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook, and Rumson Fair Haven High School’s Veterans Appreciation Club together with other volunteer replaced more than 700 flags on the graves of military veterans last week, in preparation for Memorial Day. All the flags were placed Saturday, May 20, despite a torrential downpour and cold temperatures.
Doyle heads up the annual event each year, assuring that flags placed in the past and now faded are removed, disposed of properly and replaced with new flags as positive signs the veterans buried at Bayview Cemetery from the time of the revolution to the present are always remembered.
Students from both high schools set up routines where they removed the old flags and replaced them; when that part of their community service was completed, they then separated the flags from the poles, and brought the faded flags to the Flag Disposal Box at the Public Works Yard in Atlantic Highlands.
Jocelyn Velasquez, who has been volunteering for the pre-Memorial Day event for more than 20 years, brought her two year old daughter, Nevaeh along, introducing her daughter to the importance of remembering the fallen. The two placed the flag at the burial site of Jocelyn’s grandfather, Bernard Frotton, a Marine Corps veteran who earned two purple hearts while serving and was a former councilman in the borough.
Post Commander Doyle and his wife-to-be also showed the importance they place on remembering those who served the country and are buried at Bayview Cemetery. The couple were at the cemetery for the two hour duty Saturday morning, and Doyle oversaw the completion of the flag replacements before the couple left to prepare for their wedding. Doyle and the former Barbara Bateman were married at St. Agnes Church later that afternoon.
Also volunteering for the morning were former Atlantic Highlands Councilwoman Jane Frotton, widow of Bernard Frotton, and a supporter of the Legion program since its inception, Deborah Appello, a member of the Atlantic Highlands Board of Education, Legion vice commander and former Army Capt. Ellen O’Dwyer, JJ O’Shaughnessy and Lenny Izzo, post members, and CDR Tracie-Smith Yeoman USN (ret) senior Naval Instructor at MAST.
As has been their tradition since starting to volunteer for the Bayview flag exchange program, the MAST cadets stopped to pay honor at the tombstone of Sgt. Fred Hay, who received a Congressional Medal of Honor for service during the Indian Campaigns of 1874 and died in Highlands in 1914.
The post provided lunch and beverages for the MAST and Rumson Fair Haven students at the Senior Center at the Yacht Harbor after the event.
A teacher at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook, for 35 years, formally announced his retirement at the end of this school year at the annual Pass in Review ceremonies honoring him and the Class of 2023. The ceremony was held on Pershing Field May 25.
Valente, a native of Florida where his father was a mounted policeman in Coral Gables, grew up in New York, his parents’ native city, when the family moved there when he was seven years of age.
He attended school in New York before moving to New Jersey after graduating from Queens College. He completed a Master of Physics Science degree from the College of New Jersey and taught science at several different schools in the state before starting at MAST 35 years ago.
Valente is a vice president of the NJ Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers and has served for 20 years as chair of the NJ Physics Olympics Committee.
He and his wife Valerie, an artist and chair of the Red Bank Catholic High School art department whom he met when he taught there, have been married 32 years and have one daughter.
Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman Senior Instructor of the NJROTC program at MAST, was principal speaker at Valente’s retirement ceremony, and led the crowd of parents, faculty and cadets in applauding Valente for all he has done for MAST and the NJROTC during his three and a half decades of service at the school.
She told him “We cannot count the number of lives you have touched by your love of and passion for teaching.” She told stories she has heard over the ten years she has been at MAST from graduates who told her how easy physics in college was because of their education at MAST under Valente’s tutorship.
The retired officer added that Valente’s impact “has been immense, and you are one of the kindest, most caring people I have ever met,” feelings she said, which are shared by the Naval Senior Chief and Chief who also teach at MAST.
In his talk, Valente told the students it is they who are making his retirement so bittersweet since he has enjoyed teaching them for so many years and is reluctant to say goodbye to MAST and all it has meant to him.
Following his thanks and a standing ovation from the crowd, the entire MAST NJROTC honored Valente with their Pass in Review march.
It was just five years after his graduation from the West Point Military Academy that First Lieutenant Samuel Streit Coursen was killed in action at Kaesong Korea while saving the life of another soldier who was in mortal danger.
Coursen, the son of Wallace Melville Coursen, a principal in the New York accounting firm of Haskins & Sells, and Kathleen Howell Coursen, was born in Madison, NJ Aug. 4, 1926, after graduating from the Newark Academy, where he was known for his athletic accomplishments.
Coursen received an appointment to the Military Academy and was commissioned there in June, 1949. Shortly after, he married Evangeline Joy Sprague, the daughter of Naval Captain Albert Sprague who was the commanding officer at Naval Ammunition Depot at Lake Denmark, part of Picatinny Arsenel.
Coursen then underwent further schooling at Fort Riley, Kansas and Fort Benning, Georgia,before earning a promotion and deploying to the Far East Command, taking command of a platoon in Company C, 5th Cavalry Regiment of the First Calvary Division. The Regiment had been transferred from the Pacific theater to Korea four months earlier following the North Korean invasion that set off the Korean War.
Lieutenant Coursen and his unit were part of the UN offensive into North Korea, and was crossing the 38th parallel into North Korea two days before his heroic actions and his death.
The Korean War took the lives of 30 officers from the West Point Class of 1949, many of whom, like Coursen, were newly commissioned lieutenants serving as platoon commanders.
Lieutenant Coursen’s Medal of Honor was presented to his 14-month old son, Samuel, Jr. on June 21, 1951, with the presentation made at the Pentagon by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and General of the Army Omar Bradley.
Last week, Lieutenant Coursen was honored by the Battleship New Jersey Museum in Camden, when his banner was raised and joined the Museum’s Index of America’s Heroes during the celebration of the 80th date of commissioning of the battleship.
A ferry, the Lieutenant Samuel S. Coursen, was christened in 1956 honoring the hero, and is a 172 foot long passenger and vehicle ferry operating between Manhattan and the former US Army headquarters at Fort Jay on Governors Island.
That boat has carried heads of state including Queen Elizabeth II, the King of Norway, Mikhail Gorbachev and President George H.W.Bush and carries thousands of visitors each year to Governor’s Island.
The Newark Academy where he attended high school, renamed its athletic ground the Coursen Memorial Field and kept the same name for its field when the school moved to Livingston in 1964.
Lieutenant Coursen’s name is on a bronze plaque at the Military Academy’s listing of West Point graduates who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
He is buried at the US Military Academy cemetery at West Point.
Lieutenant Coursesn’s citation reads:
First Lieutenant Coursen distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action.
While Company C was attacking Hill 174 under heavy enemy small-arms fire, his platoon received enemy fire from close-range. The platoon returned the fire and continued to advance.
During this phase, one of his men moved into a well-camouflaged emplacement, which was thought to be unoccupied, and was wounded by the enemy who were hidden within the emplacement.
Seeing the soldier in difficulty, he rushed to the man’s aid and, without regard for his personal safety, engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat in an effort to protect his wounded comrade until he himself was killed.
When his body was recovered after the battle, seven enemy dead were found in the emplacement. As the result of 1st Lieutenant. Coursen’s violent struggle several of the enemies’ heads had been crushed with his rifle.
His aggressive and intrepid actions saved the life of the wounded man, eliminated the main position of the enemy roadblock, and greatly inspired the men in his command.
First Lieutenant Coursen’s extraordinary heroism and intrepidity reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service.
Interested in additional Medal of Honor Recipients from New Jersey? Try these links
Today on board the BB-62, the USS New Jersey, you can sit in the seat where Admiral Bull Halsey commanded the 5th fleet. Or you can have a birthday party in the same mess hall where sailors fighting in wars had their meals. You can even bring your family and spend a night on the ship, sleeping in the same bunks where Sailors have slept for 80 years as they defended America. Or you can climb into one of the 16” gun turrets that helped make this ship so amazing.
Monmouth County residents can see one of those gun turrets up close at Hartshorne Woods in Highlands, where it was preserved as part of another exhibit and is now part of the Monmouth County historic exhibitions there.
Because of the outstanding work of the staff and Board of Trustees as well as the Military Affairs Committee all of the Battleship USS New Jersey Museum and Memorial, you can learn the history of the nation’s largest and most decorated ship with her 19 awards on visits to what has been recognized as one of the most interactive battleship museums across the nation.
The New Jersey (BB-62) was the second of four Iowa-class battleships built in 1940 during World War II. Built at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and launched on Dec. 7, one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she was commissioned six months later on May 3, 1943.
The battleship New Jersey (BB-62) was the flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance’s 5th fleet in 1944 when she sank a Japanese destroyer; she was Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s flagship when he led the 3rd fleet in 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was the first ship on which Admiral Chester Nimitz flew his five-star flag as Admiral of the fleet.
The New Jersey fought in the two largest naval battles of the Pacific War, first in the Battle of the Philippine Sea the largest carrier battle in history, and in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest sea battle of all time. She also served through the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Put into mothballs after the war, the New Jersey BB-62, fondly known as the Big J, was reactivated to serve in the Korean War when she was the flagship of Admiral Joseph Clark’s 7th fleet. Following that war, she served as a training ship for midshipmen and was the flagship for Admiral Charles Welborn’s second Fleet.
The New Jersey was re-activated a second time to serve as the world’s only operating battleship during the Vietnam War, and once more to resolve conflicts in the Middle East during the Cold War and put an end to Soviet expansionism.
The ship was the first of the four battleships which include the Iowa, Arizona and Missouri, to add cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-missile weapons to the powerful 16-inch guns, making her the most formidable surface ship ever put to sea. The four battleships were the only ships for which nuclear projectiles were designed.
President Ronald Reagan described the New Jersey as being “still in the prime of life, a Gallant Lady,” when he became the only President to recommission a battleship during his term.
In total, the battleship was in active service for 21 and a half years and was decommissioned for the last time in February 1991. She was then towed from her resting place in Washington State through the Panama Canal amid great ceremonies attended by Governor Christine Whitman, Monmouth County Senator the late State Senator S. Thomas Gagliano and former state Assemblyman and also Navy Captain Joseph Azzolina. Azzolina, a Highlands native, had served aboard the New Jersey and was instrumental in securing her a permanent home in New Jersey.
Captain Joe Azzolina Captain, USNR (ret)
In 2002, the ship was opened as the Naval Museum and Memorial it is today, under Executive Director and CEO Philip P. Rowan, and the Board of Trustee Officers under Chairman Dennis Levitt. Capt. Azzolina was a member of the Board of Trustees until his death, and his son, Joseph Azzolina,Jr. of Red Bank, is carrying on his father’s legacy as a member of the Board.
Joe Azzolina Jr. Aboard the Big J
During her years of service, the Battleship New Jersey played a role in every major amphibious invasion since 1943; she served at the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Marianas, New Guinea, Palau, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, earning her 19 battle and campaign stars, the most decorated battleship in history and the second-most decorated ship in American history. She has also received a Naval Unit Commendation for Vietnam service and Presidential United citations from the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.
Visit the Battleship Museum’s website for information on visits or special events at BattleshipNewJersey.org or email for information to info@BattleshipNewJersey.org.
