Ocean County Veterans Parade Features Two Toms River Grand Marshals

L to R Peter Hartmann, Richard Monticello, Bob Larned; Toms River Veterans Commission (Photo courtesy Toms River Township)

TOMS RIVER – The Ocean County Veterans Day Parade will be on Nov. 12, and will honor two Toms River residents as grand marshals.

“These two men that are this year’s grand marshals are the perfect embodiment of the legacy of service that our military share,” said Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. “They represent the centuries-old tradition of our veterans who continue to serve their community after their service to our nation is over. As Americans, it’s our duty to honor and thank our veterans, today and every day.”

Sgt. Richard Monticello graduated from Toms River High School East in 1989. He was a team leader in an infantry squad, and a spotter for a sniper team. He had been deployed in Egypt and in the Sinai desert.

Since 2007, he has served as the Resident Special Agent-in-Charge at the Department of Defense for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates Department of Defense civilian programs and military operations focusing on terrorism, fraud, public corruption, health care fraud and cyber-crimes.

Capt. Peter Hartman entered the Marine Corps in 1969. He became a pilot and trained with the F-4 Phantom II. He flew 12 combat missions in Cambodia in July of 1973. He made captain and became an air combat tactics instructor.

He was released from active duty in 1974, the same year he made Toms River his home.

Time And Date Of Parade

The parade will take place on Monday, Nov. 12 at 9:45 a.m. The route will start at the Toms River Shopping Center on Route 37 and flow south on Route 166 through the downtown area, and then east onto Washington Street. There will be a ceremony in front of town hall at the conclusion, where there will be speakers, guests, and a placing of a wreath.

There is no rain date. In advance of inclement weather, the student portion of the parade will be canceled at 5 p.m. on Nov. 11. Announcements will be made on 92.7 WOBM. The ceremony will take place in Town Hall in the L. Manuel Hirshblond Meeting Room at 10 a.m.