Thorne Middle School To Honor Local Veterans For Memorial Day

For Immediate Release:

5/19/15

To honor local veterans for Memorial Day, the staff and children of Thorne Middle School will gather at 9:00 AM on Thursday, May 21 for a traditional Memorial Day ceremony.

Following the ceremony, there will be a special performance tribute to the history of the USO inside and a screening of a touching video about Edith Thorne Lentz Nowels, who died in April.

Nowels was the sister of local World War II hero Corporal Horace “Buddy” Thorne, for whom the school was named in 1962.

“Edith was instrumental in the school receiving the Battle of the Bulge monument from Fort Monmouth. She was a driving force behind everything that Thorne has done to honor Veterans past and present,” says Thorne Middle School Principal Tom Olausen.

Before she died, Nowels was busy working on a new project, researching to find all Thorne alumni who lost their lives while serving in the military so a second monument to honor them could be placed at the school.

One such hero was Army First Lieutenant Dennis Zilinski, 101st Airborne Division – Thorne Class of 1996. Lieutenant Zilinski was killed during combat operations in Iraq in 2005.

The Zilinski family will be on hand this Thursday when the school announces the plan for a future monument.

Lt. Zilinski’s family is thankful to Nowels. “I know Dennis would be honored to be remembered alongside Corporal Thorne and other local heroes,” said his mother Marion Zilinski. “Dennis loved his country, and he loved his home town. We are very grateful to the Edith and the school for keeping his memory alive and making the sacrifice of our local veterans relevant for generations to come.”

Lt. Dennis Zilinski II grew up in Middletown, NJ.

All veterans are welcome to attend the event.

Wreaths Across America Convoy Coming to Middletown Wed, Dec. 11th

From Middletown Alerts:

Middletown NJ - With the help of thousands of volunteers, Wreaths Across America (WAA) is working to fulfill its mission ofremembering, honoring and teaching through the annual laying of wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. The wreaths’ journey to Arlington has become a tradition in itself, allowing locals along the route to share in the emotional and educational experience as the WAA convoy passes through their hometown. On December 11, 2013 the parade of wreaths will stop in New Jersey, at Thorne Middle School, 70 Murphy Road, in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown.

In preparation for the event the Middletown VFW 2179 and American Legion 515 will presented 800 flags to the Thorne Middle School principal on Thursday, December 5for the school to use as part of the Wreaths Across America Ceremony.

Thorne Middle School houses the World War II Battle of the Bulge Monument, previously located at Fort Monmouth. The school is named for Corporal Horace “Bud” Thorne, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, who was killed in December 1944 during the battle that the monument commemorates. Thorne Middle School is the only school in New Jersey named for a Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. The convoy will stop at the school on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at approximately 11 a.m. to present wreathes.

The journey to Arlington National Cemetery will begin Saturday, Dec. 7, in Harrington, Maine, and will travel down the East Coast. The convoy will arrive in Arlington on National Wreaths Across America Day, Saturday, Dec. 14, where it will be met by thousands of volunteers who will place a wreath for the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country, ensuring no one is forgotten.

Attendance at the December 11th Thorne Middle School Ceremony includes:Morrill and Karen Worcester - founder and executive director (respectively), Wreaths Across America;American Gold Star Families; Maine’s First Lady Ann LePage; Active and retired military including survivors of the Battle of the Bulge such as Middletown VFW 2179 member Tom Scriffignano; membersof the Thorne family; Thorne M.S. staff, students, Middletown Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee members and community members; Patriot Guard Riders. Local officials including the Middletown Township Committee are also invited to attend.