Woodbridge Honors Those Who Never Stopped Serving
Veterans led a proud march down Main Street, reminding the township that freedom’s cost endures long after the battles end.
November 9, 2025
The morning drizzle that threatened the event stayed away just long enough for everyone to march.
Main Street was lined with residents bundled in jackets and hoodies under gray, cloudy skies Sunday afternoon as Woodbridge held its annual Veterans Day Parade.
The parade began at Ross Street School No. 11, and cut through downtown before ending beneath the Woodbridge Train Station, where dozens of community groups, veterans’ organizations, and local leaders gathered to honor those who served.
There were cheers, handshakes, and flags waving from the sidewalks.
“People definitely are receptive and appreciative,” said VFW Post 4410 Commander Al Jankowski, a Vietnam veteran who has participated in the parade ever since the township re-established it in 2007. Like many veterans at the parade, Jankowski said he was there to give to the community.
“Once you sign up to serve, you never stop. People should never forget: freedom isn’t free. Someone has to pay the bill.”
For many of the veterans, marching wasn’t just about recognition. It was about reconnecting with the bonds forged through service. For the men of VFW Post 4410, part of reconnecting meant packing into a pickup truck and tossing candy to children along the parade route.
John Scott, who served aboard the Navy submarine USS Kamehameha during the Vietnam era, joked that he was there because “Al told me to,” drawing laughs from the other guys in the truck.
Then Scott added more seriously, “The VFW needs people. We’re a very picky group.” Scott said he encourages anyone who served in a combat role and is looking for camaraderie to stop by the post hall by the train station.
Squeezed in the backseat of the pickup was Mario Aochoa. An Iraq War veteran who served in the Air Force, Aochoa was the young guy in the group. He explained why he was there.
“To continue our service and be around veterans,” Aochoa said, “We all have something in common and we all gotta stick together.”
That sense of brotherhood was echoed by Port Reading firefighter and Marine Corps veteran William Bombardier, who said the parade helps fill a gap many feel after leaving active duty.
“It gives you that sense of brotherhood you feel like you’re gonna miss when you leave active duty,” said Bombardier, who served five years in the Marines before joining the fire department.
Marching beside him was Kevin Farrell, a member of the Marine Corps League.
“I’m serving our community,” he said. “Veterans need to be represented.”
Marine Corps League Detachment #189 is named in honor of Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard. On January 19, 2012, Cpl. Reinhard, a son of Woodbridge, was killed along with five other Marines when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.
Port Reading firefighter and Marine veteran William Bombadier stands with fellow Marine veteran Kevin Farrell before the parade. (The Central Jerseyan)
Behind the veterans marched a wave of local groups, including bagpipers, scout troops, first responders, and a school marching band.
“We’re here to support our loved ones who are veterans,” said Annabelle, a member of Girl Scout Troop 83670, as she waited with her troop to step off.
Families lined both sides of Main Street, many holding coffee cups and small flags.
From the curb, Adamo Lotrecchiano of Fords snapped pictures as his son marched past with his troop. “He loves the Cub Scouts and he’s super excited to be here,” Lotrecchiano said. “And we’re happy it didn’t rain!”
For Gary Dietlmeier of Colonia, the parade was a chance to recognize men and women whose service he feels is being forgotten. The Army veteran, whose father and grandfather also served, said it’s important that younger residents understand the sacrifices behind the celebration.
“We have to support our veterans — those who took time to leave their civilian life to serve our country,” he said.
Dietlmeier, a member of the Kenilworth Veterans Center, said the group raises funds every spring by selling poppies. He was dismayed by how many people no longer understand the flower’s symbolism and significance.
The bright red flower became a remembrance emblem after the World War I battles of Flanders Fields in Belgium. As many as half a million soldiers were killed or wounded in the string of battles along the Western Front. Months later, the fields once soaked in blood bloomed with poppies — a reminder of the cost of war.
The Pentagon estimates more than 300 thousand Americans were killed or wounded during the First World War, which ended in 1918 on November 11 — now Veterans Day. Since the War to End All Wars, more than 1.3 million American service members have been killed or wounded in combat.
The Woodbridge Proper Honor Roll Memorial, where residents gathered to pay tribute following the parade. (The Central Jerseyan)
Among those who attended from the grandstand was New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, who called the parade “a chance to recognize the great service and sacrifice of people who put something larger than themselves first.”
“Veterans continue to serve long after they’re out,” Coughlin said. “You can see that by all the volunteer activities they do — the American Legions, the VFWs, helping out with community causes. It’s a privilege to be here every year.”
Mayor John McCormac, who helped re-launch the township’s veterans parade nearly two decades ago, said the event remains one of Woodbridge’s proudest traditions.
“We’re very proud to host the veterans parade every year since 2007,” McCormac said. “We’ve done it every year, minus the one COVID year. We’re loaded with veterans groups, and we’re very proud of them.”
As he glanced up at the gray sky, McCormac smiled. “We’re very fortunate that it did not rain,” he said. “It still might. But who cares after the parade’s over?”
The final marchers passed under the train station bridge to applause from the crowd, flags still waving in the chilly air.
Just a few minutes after the last marchers crossed under the train station, the rain started falling.