A conduit for nonprofits, organizations, and veterans in Monmouth County
"The Monmouth County Veteran Service Council was established in 2017 to become a conduit for nonprofits and organizations to engage together, and share programs and services before the Sheriff to enable quality of life programs for veterans in the county. As such, the Council meets 5x per year at various locations in Monmouth County and host presenters to provide valuable information affecting the veteran population."
Honoring abandoned and unclaimed veteran cremains with proper military burial
🎬 Forgotten Veterans 2025
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"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.
With deep respect,
Sheriff Shaun Golden
76th Sheriff of Monmouth County
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Vietnam Veterans of America
New Jersey Shore Area Chapter 12
Our Mission
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.
History of the Committee
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.
Memorial Service Footage
Highlights from cremains interment ceremonies
Forgotten Veterans 2021
Forgotten Veterans 2022
Forgotten Veterans 2023
Forgotten Veterans 2024
Wall of Heroes
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."
To be considered for the Veterans Honors Program, nominees must meet the following criteria:
Honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces
Minimum of one (1) year of military service
Resident of Monmouth County (current or past)
Demonstrated honorable service and/or distinguished community contributions
All required documentation must be provided, including proof of honorable discharge (DD-214)
Nominations are reviewed by the Veterans Honors Program committee. All information submitted is kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of consideration.
*** All fields are read only except for the administration fields ***
(Required)
Veteran's Information
Point of Contact
Admin Fields
Veteran Selected?
Month Selected
Year Selected
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Thank you for your nomination! The Veterans Honors Program committee will review and respond shortly.
Employment Opportunities
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
✅ Now Accepting Applications
Apply today to join the Veterans Emergency Training Service (VETS)
Welcome Letter
A message from the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office
Thank you for your service to our Country and interest in supporting the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office Community Outreach Programs. It is the mission of the MCSO Office of Emergency Management and preparedness to respond quickly, efficiency and effectively in the provision of a coordinated response to emergent situations for residents of Monmouth County. Your contribution towards the accomplishment of this mission is critical, as we recognize the valuable resource we have in our veteran community.
Through our community outreach program "Veterans Emergency Training Service (V.E.T.S.)", we acknowledge that Military Service members and Veterans have unique skill sets that are extremely valuable to the mission of serving and protecting our community; these skills are even more critical in the times of an emergency.
Requirements for program participation are very straight forward. Applicants of the program must have served for at least one (1) year in the U.S. Armed Forces. Prior Enlisted applicants and have completed Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training/Rate training, Prior Commissioned Officers must have completed the Officers Basic Course or service equivalent training. All applicants must have received an honorable discharge, submit to, and successfully pass a background check.
Successful candidates for the V.E.T.S. program should be willing to participate in training sessions and additional volunteer activities supporting the Sheriff's Office community outreach mission. Volunteers will be trained and resourced to perform duties professionally and proficiently at the discretion of the Sheriff or his designee.
As an example: an approved volunteer could be assigned to our Office of Emergency Management serving as a member of our Emergency Operations Call Center, a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) or Shelter Manager.
The enclosed packet contains the required documentation to be completed for participation in the V.E.T.S. program. Please submit all completed documents to Mike Ferraro, Asst. Veterans Service Officer via regular mail, or via email to Mferraro@mcsonj.org. For questions or additional information he can be reached at 732-431-6400 Ext. 1806.
Upon review of the application materials you will be notified of your status and next steps. Again, thank you for your service and we look forward to hearing from you!
📞 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.
