ESTELL MANOR - Atlantic County will hold its 40th annual Veterans Memorial Program to honor the sacrifice and service of its fallen military veterans 2 p.m. Friday, May 23 at the Richard E. Squires Veterans Cemetery, located in the county park at 109 Route 50 S.
“This year will mark the 40th anniversary of this important event held each Friday before the Memorial Day holiday in remembrance of our military heroes,” Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said in a release. “We proudly take this opportunity to honor them so their supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Vietnam Army veteran John Dorrity, who has also served as a tireless veterans’ advocate and is past president of both the National and New Jersey Associations of Veteran Service Officers, will provide the keynote address. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Dorrity was born in Jersey City and enlisted in the Army in 1967. He served in Vietnam with the 162nd Assault Helicopter Company as a crew chief and door gunner. He flew more than 250 combat missions and earned multiple military awards and honors, including the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal with Silver Cluster for Personal Valor in combat, the highest award given by the State of New Jersey.
After leaving the service, Dorrity represented disabled veterans and their families. He wrote a PTSD readjustment program for the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and advocated for a VA compensation increase for veterans suffering from the residual effects of frostbite. As a former director of a county Veterans Service Bureau, he fought to protect and assist his fellow veterans.
The annual program features the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Color Guard, the Atlantic County Corrections Officers’ Honor Guard; the Sandpipers’ Pipes and Drums, the presentation of the memorial wreath and the playing of Taps.
The cemetery was dedicated in 1985 and comprised of four acres. It has grown over the years to include a 20-acre expansion with multiple improvements. It currently serves as a final resting place for more than 6,500 residents.
Levinson renamed the cemetery in memory of his predecessor following Squires death last April. The idea for the cemetery belonged to Squires, a U.S. Navy veteran who served on the USS Wisconsin.
To prepare for the program, several local Scout troops placed American flags at each of the cemetery’s gravesites.
