Empowering veterans to find purpose and serve again
The Veterans Program Strives To:
- Ensure that veterans are respected for their service to our Country
- Recognize and be acknowledged by the residents of Monmouth County for the sacrifices made by them and their families on behalf of this great nation
- Be a conduit and communications channel for sharing Veteran Programs and Initiatives
- Provide resources and services to offer the Veteran Community
Founding partner organizations of the Veterans Program
A conduit for nonprofits, organizations, and veterans in Monmouth County
Member organizations of the Monmouth County Veteran Service Council
| Allaire Community Farm | www.allairecommunityfarm.org |
| American Legion | www.njamericanlegion.org |
| Assoc of the United States Army (AUSA) | www.ausa.org/monmouth |
| Bridging the Gap for Veterans | www.bridgingthegap.vet |
| Community Hope for Veterans | www.communityhope-nj.org |
| Dept of Military & Veteran Affairs NJ | www.dmava.nj.gov |
| Disabled American Veterans | www.davnj.org |
| Education & Health Centers of America | www.ehcamerica.org |
| Employer Support for the Guard & Reserve | www.esgr.mil |
| HABcore | www.habcore.org |
| InfoAge | www.infoage.org |
| Jewish War Veterans | www.jwv.org |
| MA22 | www.ma22.org |
| Manalapan Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee | www.manalapanveterans.com |
| Monmouth County Human Service Veterans Services | www.visitmonmouth.com |
| Monmouth University | www.monmouth.edu |
| NJ Governor Outreach Office | www.nj.gov |
| NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial | www.njvvmf.org |
| Pause to Thrive | www.pausetothrive.org |
| Rolling Thunder | www.rollingthunder1.com |
| Soldier On | www.wesoldieron.org |
| US Family Health Plan | www.usfhp.net |
| Vet Center | www.vetcenter.va.gov |
| Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 12 | www.vva.org |
| VetWork | www.vetwork.org |
| VFW Post 2639 | facebook.com/Post2639 |
| VFW Post 1333 | vfw1333.org |
Recent Veterans Service Council activities
Honoring unclaimed veterans with full military honors
"Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause to faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn."
With these words, Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur began his farewell address to the corps of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 12, 1962. Those three words, Duty, Honor, Country are the reason we have, since our country's founding in 1776, revered, respected, and remembered those brave men and women who have served in the United States Military and have kept America the land of the free and the home of the brave.
At this event today, we honor the memory of eighteen veterans from World War I and World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and one spouse, all of whom we shall escort to their final resting place at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown where they will be interred with a Military Service. We thank you for being a part of that escort today.
The vestibule of the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office proudly displays a Roll of Honor containing the names of 104 men and women in the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office who have faithfully served their country in the military. In his 1951 Speech to Congress, General MacArthur said, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." It is for us, the living, to remember that the price of freedom is not free. We must remain ever mindful of the sacrifices our veterans made for their country as we escort the unclaimed cremains of eighteen veterans to their final resting place this afternoon. We shall never forget.
Ceremony Photos
Our mission is to identify and claim those cremated remains of honorably discharged veterans and their spouses who have been abandoned and left on shelves in funeral homes. Our goal is to provide a proper military interment which they have earned and been denied.
During the early part of 2011, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 12 created a committee to look into and identify the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans still sitting on the shelves of local funeral homes. Chapter members Rich Magovern and Ernie Diorio took on the task of heading up the committee. As a result of their efforts, in August 2012 the Chapter located and interred 3 military veterans from Ely's Funeral Home at BG William C Doyle Cemetery. Due to lack of activity and funeral home cooperation the project stalled until late 2014. At that time the committee was revitalized with additional members and a renewed enthusiasm. VVA Chapter 12 partnered with the Missing In America Project and began the goal of providing proper burials for forgotten veterans.
By May 2015, the cremains committee developed a new plan to capture the interest of the funeral homes. In June 2016, VVA Chapter 12 was invited back to Ely's funeral home with access to all of their cremains which resulted in the identification of an additional 15 veterans and 2 spouses. All but 2 who were claimed by family were interred in April 2017. During this period we were able to obtain a grant from Home Depot to supply materials needed to construct oak burial urns as well as partnering up with the woodworking shop at Covered Bridge Senior Community in Manalapan to construct the urns.
To date, 205 veterans or spouses have been interred and 33 were returned to family by VVA Chapter 12.
Highlights from cremains interment ceremonies
Honoring the men and women of MCSO who served
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation." — President George Washington
Browse the current Wall of Heroes below and use the nomination form to submit a veteran for consideration.
★ Wall of Heroes — 2024 ★
Click a branch above to filter
"With sincere appreciation for those who have served to protect our freedom"
Submit a veteran for consideration to the Wall of Heroes
🎖️ Honors Program Nomination Form
Use the form below to nominate a veteran for the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office Wall of Heroes. All nominations are reviewed by the committee. Please provide as much detail as possible about the nominee's military service and contributions.
Veterans Emergency Training Service (VETS)
About the VETS Program
Veterans have outstanding knowledge, skills and abilities that are very useful before, during and after a disaster or national emergency that would provide many positive benefits for those wanting to give back to the community.
📋 Eligibility Requirements
To become a member of the VETS program, each veteran must meet the following criteria:
- 1 year US Armed Forces and honorably discharged
- Successful completion of required training
- Enlisted Veterans: Military Occupational Specialty
- Veteran Officers: Completed Officer Basic School & technical training
- Attend 75% of meetings & scheduled events
Preview and download the applications below
📞 To Apply: Complete the documents above and follow instructions for submission. For questions, contact our Assistant Veterans Service Officer Michael Ferraro at 732-431-6400 Extension 1806 or email mferraro@mcsonj.org.
Submit Your Application To
📧 Email
mferraro@mcsonj.org
📞 Phone
(732) 431-6400 x1806
Michael Ferraro
Assistant Veterans Service Officer
