BELMAR — Veteran John Fernandez remembers the lack of support he faced when he returned home from the Vietnam War.
“What happened to our folks when we got back was that no one really welcomed us home,” recalled Fernandez.
Luckily, Fernandez said, circumstances have changed. On Nov. 9, veterans were celebrated at the 2024 Veteran’s Music Festival, hosted by the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce (NJSVCC) and sponsored by the Veterans Foundation of America, Horizon NJ Health and Band Together for Veterans, among others, at D’Jais Bar in Belmar.
“We got a lot of guys who come back home whole, I was one of the lucky ones,” Fernandez said, “and we got guys who don’t come back whole and we need to take care of those guys.”
The music festival was free for veterans and active duty military, and $20 for members of the public. Attendees were able to purchase an event T-shirt, with those proceeds also counted towards the fundraising effort. Seven blues and rock bands played at D’Jais: LZ Jersey, which is an all veteran band; Gary Wright Roots and Blues; Jump Back; The Bob DelRosso Band; The Incinerators; Peter V & Blues Train; and the Spider Daniels Band.
All proceeds from the event went to Veterans Foundation of America, which helps veterans find ways to cope with PTSD, such as outdoor therapy programs including fishing and equine therapy including the Cowboy Therapy Program.
Jeff Cantor, of Veterans Foundation of America, who is a retired U.S. Army colonel, said, “This is critical. Our veterans have given so much, they’ve traveled the world and served in austere environments, dealt with the worst that humanity has to offer and they still come back to protect our values and our freedom and it’s the least we can do to give back and show our support to them.”
This is an excerpt of the print article. For more on this story, read The Ocean Star—on newsstands Friday or online in our e-Edition.
Check out our other Brick Township stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Ocean Star—on newsstands Friday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Ocean Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.
 6x10 4c.jpg)
