Vietnam Vets’ Foundation to mark Memorial Day

HOLMDEL — The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation (NJVVMF) will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony in recognition of U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service, on Monday, May 30, at 11 a.m. at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel.

Col. Bertrand A. Ges, of Jackson, will serve as guest speaker. The ceremony will include the induction of two Vietnam veterans into the memorial’s In Memory Program and the presentation of two $2,500 scholarships to New Jersey high school students for their participation in the NJVVMF scholarship program.

The 2011 scholarship winners are Jordyn Tumas, of Wayside, and Allison Outwater, of Wall Township.

This year’s In Memory inductees are Spc. 4th Class James Nacion Jr., of Barnegat, and Spc. 4th Class Anthony Simone, of Plainfield. In Memory honors New Jerseyans who served and died as a result of the war in Vietnam.

Ges is the commander of the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade at Joint Base McGuire- Dix-Lakehurst. He received his Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) commission from the Valley Forge Military Junior College in 1985. Prior to entering active duty in 1987, Ges served in the New Jersey National Guard from 1984 until 1987 with the 1st and 3rd Battalions, 112th Field Artillery, 50th Armored Division. Before joining the brigade as its new commander, Ges commanded Combined Joint Task Force Paladin, Afghanistan’s counter-improvised explosive device task force. His other assignments include plans chief and the chief of the Director’s Staff Group, and commander, 3rd Battalion, 319thAirborne Field Artillery Regiment/82nd Airborne Division, when he deployed the battalion to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as part of Task Force Gun Devils during Operation Enduring Freedom from 2005 to 2006.

Ges’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Defense and Army Meritorious Service medals, Joint Service and Army Commendation medals, ArmyAchievement Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal, and Ranger, Master Parachutist, Airborne, Air Assault and Combat Action badges.

The Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Memorial Day, and admission is free for all visitors. The museum is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial off Garden State Parkway at exit 116 in Holmdel. The memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The museum is normally open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the memorial or museum, call 732-335-0033 or visit www.njvvmf.org.