BELMAR ? James Harrison and his 5-year-old son Jack of Marlboro battled it out in the inflatable gladiator ring at Fifth Avenue Beach, treasuring the bonding time.
James Harrison, a U.S. Army staff sergeant, just returned a month ago from serving nine months in Afghanistan.
The Harrison family?s day at the beach came courtesy of the borough?s third annual Military Appreciation Day, which honors active military and their families. Children?s rides, raffle prizes, food and music were available for the approximately 350 families who attended the event.
?Between Iraq and Afghanistan, many soldiers have been deployed for an extended period of time, so it starts to take a real impact on the families that are still there,? said Belmar Mayor Matthew Doherty, adding beach access and parking were free for military Saturday. ?So we thought, ?Let?s do something for the families?.?
It was a welcome day off for military members, who said their service has impacted their families and lives here at home.
?Through the years, it?s been a constant development,? said Harrision, 37. ?We know it?s (deployment) coming before I leave, so it?s all that build-up, having to get as much family time in together before you?re gone. And no matter how much you prepare for it, it?s always so much stress, especially on the family.?
Harrison, of the 508th Military Police Company stationed in Teaneck, has served in the Army for 14 years. Before his most recent stint in Afghanistan, he had 12- and 15-month deployments in Iraq. Harrison is hoping this trip home will last about five years.
As part of her campaign stops Saturday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono walked the Belmar beaches, chatting with sunbathers and swimmers before greeting military families.
?Oh my god, I was so excited!? said Evelyn Hernandez of Secaucus after being greeted by Buono. ?I was very surprised.?
Buono, a state senator from Middlesex County, said she was there to pay homage to the military and their families.
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?We owe them everything,? said Buono. ?We take this for granted, just coming to the beach and enjoying and living our lives as we choose, and it?s important to take a moment over Independence Day weekend ... and remember that this is the land of freedom and opportunity. It didn?t come by chance. It came by hard work, so we owe them everything.?
Kevin Richardson of Elkins Park, Pa., took a dip in the ocean with his 2-year-old daughter Madison. It was the girl?s first time at an East Coast beach. She was born in Guam, then spent time in Monterey, Calif., before moving east.
?We?re used to it (the moving) ... In the military you tend to move every two to three years, but it?s been great,? said Richardson, who?s in the Navy stationed in Philadelphia. ?I think she?s too young still to appreciate it, but my wife loves it. We love to travel, so we?ve been all over the world.?
Richardson, 33, was humbled by Saturday?s event.
?We figured we?d come down, check it out, and so far it?s been great,? Richardson said.
Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas Arnone said celebrating the military is what the holiday weekend is for.
?Everybody looks at it as a great beach weekend, a great time to have fun and be with family, but none of this would happen if it wasn?t for the veterans,? Arnone said.
Nate Blosser of Colts Neck, who is enlisted in the branch medical clinic at Naval Weapons Station Earle, spent time at the event with his wife Renata and 3-year-old daughter Isabel. It was their first time attending Military Appreciation Day.
Working in the military is rewarding but challenging, he said.
?It?s nice to wake up in the morning and know you?re doing a good thing for your country,? said Nate Blosser, 33.
Source: http://www.app.com/article/20130707/NJNEWS/307070037/1001/NEWS&source=rss
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