The Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders received appreciation awards at a Jan. 28 meeting from Ocean City American Legion Post 524 Trustee Steve Cole in recognition of outstanding support on behalf of veterans.
The freeholders were instrumental in welcoming home veterans who recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Freeholder Director Gerry Thornton spoke at the Forgotten Heroes Ceremony, held last spring, where we were able to bury, with dignity, four veterans whose remains had lain unclaimed in local funeral homes for as long as two decades or more,” Cole said. “The entire board has worked with our post to make it possible for the four to be buried in the Cape May County Veterans Cemetery. All the board members have been supportive of Post 524 whenever we have asked for their help.”
Cape May County Freeholder Marie Hayes, an Ocean City resident, accepts her Appreciation Award from American Legion Post 524 Trustee Steve Cole for her efforts on behalf of returning veterans. Ms. Hayes arranged tours of the Cape May County Zoo for visiting veterans and their families, who are hosted each year by the American Legion’s Rest & Relation Committee.
