Atlantic County will honor the sacrifice and service of its fallen military veterans on Friday, May 26, at 2 p.m. during the 38th annual Veterans Memorial Program to be held at the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery located in the county park, Route 50, Estell Manor.
“The Memorial Day holiday is held in remembrance of our fallen veterans who served to protect our country and its freedoms,” stated Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson.
He continued, “In Atlantic County, it is our proud tradition to honor them with this program held on the Friday before Memorial Day. We invite the public to join us in paying tribute to these heroic men and women so their supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
The program will feature the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Color Guard, the Atlantic County Corrections Officers’ Honor Guard, the Atlantic City Fire Department Sandpipers’ Pipes and Drums, and the presentation of the memorial wreath.
Atlantic County Veterans Services Officer Robert L. Frolow of Egg Harbor Township will present the keynote address. Frolow grew up in the inlet section of Atlantic City and graduated from Atlantic City High School.
He attended Miami-Dade Junior College and graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Frolow proudly served in the U.S. Army in Dong Tam, South Vietnam with air cushion vehicles (hovercraft).
County Executive Levinson appointed Frolow as the county’s first Veterans Services Officer, a position he has held for the past 21 years.
“Bob is a strong veterans’ advocate who has provided support and assistance to hundreds of veterans and their family members over the years,” said Levinson.
He continued, “He helped lobby for local access to medical care without having to travel long distances to VA facilities which led to the addition of a veterans wing in our Meadowview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.”
“Bob has always put the needs of others before his own, so it gives me great pleasure to recognize him as this year’s keynote speaker,” Levinson said.
In preparation for the May 26 ceremony, several local scout troops will place American flags at 6,700 gravesites located within the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery on Wednesday, May 24 with a rain date of Thursday, May 25.
Scouts who perform this task on at least two of three annual occasions are eligible to receive the Atlantic County Patriotism patch in recognition of their service to veterans.
The Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery was officially dedicated in May 1985 to provide a final resting place for military veterans and their spouses.
The cemetery was expanded in 2014 to accommodate an additional 650 plots.
The second phase of expansion is being conducted in conjunction with other park upgrades including a columbarium for up to 900 cremation urns, drainage and irrigation systems, ADA-accessible parking, a new restroom facility, the bifurcation of Purple Heart Drive and a paved pedestrian/bicycle path.
