TOMS RIVER – The mayor and Township Council honored student essay contest winners and named two local veterans as grand marshals ahead of the Veterans Day parade. The parade proclamations were signed by Mayor Daniel Rodrick and read by Dave Corby, identified during the meeting as a leader of the Toms River Veterans Commission.
The commission’s essay contest asked students to write about “the veteran in my life who inspires me.” Teresa Frassetto, the contest chairperson, said the entries were “well done” and that judging was difficult.
In the intermediate school division, first-place winner Sophie, an eighth grader at Toms River Intermediate South, received $300. In her essay about her uncle Ray, she recalled his cooking: “My favorite was his shepherd’s pie. It’s my favorite because it is savory, warm, and feels like home.” James, a sixth grader at St. Joseph Grade School, placed second and received $200, while Emily, a sixth grader at Toms River Intermediate East, placed third and received $100.
In the high school division, Chiaki, an 11th grader at Toms River High School East, won first place and $300. Avery, a 10th grader at Toms River High School South, placed second and received $200, and Emily, an 11th grader at Toms River High School North, placed third and received $100.
Chiaki read her essay about her father, who came to the United States with his family from Colombia and later served in the Army. “Welcome to America,” were the words that greeted them at JFK Airport, she said. Her father later served as a flight medic in Afghanistan, and Chiaki wrote that she hopes to become a physician.
The township named Joseph Placente and Edward Seitz as the 2026 Veterans Day Parade grand marshals. Placente enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and served in Korea, where he helped retrieve downed airmen, according to the proclamation; he later worked as an airborne radio operator on B-29 aircraft. Placente is no stranger to parades, and is frequently seen marching in patriotic attire.
Placente recalled asking a police chief he called “Uncle Bank” to sign his enlistment papers. After signing, the chief told him, Placente said, “It’s the best damn thing I ever did.”
Seitz attended Toms River regional schools before enlisting in the Air Force. He served at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts and later in Turkey, then started Le-Ed Concrete & Supply, an Ocean County masonry and landscape supply business that operated from 1970 until his retirement in 2020.
Frassetto thanked the students, families, teachers and township for supporting the contest, saying it gives young people an opportunity to reflect on veterans’ “dedication, bravery and sacrifice.” The student winners were also invited to march in Wednesday’s parade.
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