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Community Corner

Manchester Marine's Name to be Added to County Monument

U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicholas S. Ott, 23, died in Afghanistan

The name of U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicholas S. Ott, 23, of Manchester Township, will be added to Ocean County’s Fallen Soldier Monument as part of the 9/11 remembrance on Sept. 9, two days prior to the 10th anniversary of the attacks on America.

Ott is the 11th soldier from Ocean County to die since the attacks by Al Qaida militants on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and failed attempt to crash a plane into the White House.

Ott as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

“We grieve their loss and reflect on our freedom, the cornerstone that makes American great,’’ said Freeholder Gerry Little, an ex-Marine.

At 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 9 an observance will be held at the Sept. 11 monument in the courtyard between the Prosecutor’s building and the Administration Building Annex on the east side of Hooper Avenue. A piece of steel from the World Trade Center will be laid on a black base as a symbol of “a part of history that changed our lives,’’ according to Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. 

Clergy will offer words of comfort. The vocal ensemble from the county’s Vocational-Technical Schools will perform, and the Sheriff’s Color Guard will present the nation’s flag.

Wreaths will be laid at the 911 monument and at one for fallen soldiers, where Ott will be remembered.

Vicari also recalled that James Zadroga, a New York City detective who was among those first responding to the World Trade Center attacks, died of the toxins he inhaled there. A fund created for other sick, dying, or dead first responder created by the government is named for him.

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A will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Saint John's Roman Catholic Church, 619 Chustnut St., in Lakehurst. Ott will then be buried at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, about 20 miles west of the church, at 1 p.m., according to township business administrator Elena Zsoldos.

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