How To Honor War Heroes On Veterans Day In Camden County

Anthony Bellano
·3 min read

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Veterans Day, a federal holiday, is held yearly on Nov. 11. It honors all American veterans and military.

Camden County has partnered with Jefferson Health New Jersey to present a virtual Veterans Day Ceremony to honor Camden County Veterans amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced on Tuesday. The ceremony will be viewable online beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The pre-recorded program was designed to thank veterans and to show the community’s appreciation despite social distancing and limitations on gatherings.

“The pandemic has limited the ways that we can physically gather, but it has not affected the appreciation or support that we have for the veterans in our community,” said Camden County Freeholder Melinda Kane, a gold star mother and liaison to the Office of Veterans Affairs. “No matter when you served, where you served, or how you served, you deserve to be treated like the hero that you are. Until it is safe to resume in-person services, we will continue to find new and innovative ways to show our support to the men and women who protect this country.”

Kane, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1), Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill Mayer, Joanne H. Rosen, Vice President, Marketing & Public Affairs Samaritan, and Marla Meyers, MSW Executive Director Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Southern New Jersey, will all give remarks.

The program will include a welcome message from Brian Sweeney, President and Chief Operating Officer at Jefferson Health New Jersey, the Pledge of Allegiance from JWV Post 126, and a performance of the National Anthem by Maria Melchiore. A medal presentation will follow, honoring the following veterans:


  • Robert J. Giles, II, Army SP/4;

  • Jerome Larmore, Air Force Staff Sergeant;

  • Anthony M. Mottolo, Army Sergeant;

  • Karl D. Roth, Navy Seaman 1st. Class; and

  • Edward H. Rusk, Navy DK 3rd Class.


Originally called Armistice Day, the holiday was created at the end of World War I to recognize those who fought in “the war to end all wars,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Its origin is tied to the armistice, a temporary end of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany signed in France on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

It became Veterans Day in 1954, shortly after the end of the Korean War and less than a decade after World War II, after various veterans service organizations urged Congress to encompass veterans of all wars in their honor.

With some ceremonies, parades and presentations either canceled or altered in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, restaurants and other businesses will continue to show their appreciation for veterans and active military members.

Applebee’s, Bob Evans and Chili’s Grill and Bar are among the national restaurant chains offering free or discounted meals for veterans on Nov. 11, and 7-Eleven is offering a free cup of coffee or Big Gulp.

Other places, such as Golden Corral and Eat'n Park, have offers extended throughout November.

Veterans Day is somewhat related to, and sometimes mistaken for, Memorial Day, the federal holiday on the final Monday of May that is dedicated to those who have died while serving the United States in war.

This article originally appeared on the Haddonfield-Haddon Township Patch