Ocean County Memorial Day parade returns after two-year COVID absence to blue skies and military memories
TOMS RIVER – Cindy Transferini says she’ll never forget Ed Asselta.
The couple had planned to get married more than 50 years ago after he finished his service in the Army.
But before his tour was completed, Asselta was killed in 1968 serving as an officer in Vietnam, 12 miles southeast of Saigon.
“We hadn’t set a date because we were waiting until he came back,” Transferini recalled Monday as she attended the Ocean County Memorial Day Parade with her daughter-in-law, Patricia, and granddaughter, Gina Hope. “I always remember him today, that I lost someone special in that war.”
While marchers, bands and veterans strolled down Main Street below blue skies and shining sun toward Town Hall, many in the crowd recalled their own service and those of loved ones.
“I like to pay my respects,” said Mary Gordon, whose father, Frank, was a Marine in the Korean War and husband, Pat, joined the Air Force shortly after their wedding. “They don’t give the military the respect they should today, so this is important.”
Her mother, Susan, agreed, as she watched the parade. “They should be honored every day.”
Monday marked the return of the annual parade after a two-year absence due to COVID-19 restrictions, sparking enthusiasm from those in the crowd.
Marchers included several veterans groups, elected officials, Cub Scouts, Girls Scouts, firefighters and first aid volunteers.
“It is nice to be out and not have to think about it,” Chris Sammers, of Beachwood, said about the pandemic as he watched classic cars and fire engines go by. “It is nice to be out among people.”
His wife, Amanda, echoed that view. “We really haven’t been able to be outside a lot for a while, this is nice.”
At the parade’s end, a ceremony at Town Hall included the laying of a wreath at the nearby war memorial and comments from officials, including Mayor Maurice Hill, who urged people to help end the divisiveness that has gripped today’s public discourse.
“We are once again at a very divided nation and we have to come together,” the mayor said. “I’m always bothered when you have to check off boxes ... we are all Americans. We need to focus on not what divides us but what brings us together.”
He said if veterans of World War II, known as the "Greatest Generation," saw today’s society, “they would be very disappointed,” later urging residents to “celebrate what we have in common.”
Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Memorial Day 2022: Ocean County parade returns after COVID absence
