SEA ISLE CITY – Sea Isle City Council held its regular meeting Aug. 23. At the meeting, the city was presented with a statue honoring Medal of Honor recipient Army Cpl. Michael Crescenz.
Crescenz, as a young man, was connected to the resort through the summers he spent in Sea Isle City. The Crescenz family had a long history in Sea Isle City dating to before World War II when Crescenz’s grandfather was a member of the beach patrol.
The statue, a “modello” replica of the 8.5-foot statue of Crescenz that stands in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, was presented by Bill Crean, treasurer of the fundraising committee that created the original statue.
During the presentation, Crean pointed out how veteran-friendly Sea Isle City is and how it consistently makes an effort to honor the nation’s veterans.
He noted that the city was the first in New Jersey to provide free beach tags to veterans.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio accepted the statue on behalf of the city. Desiderio said that shortly the statue, which depicts Crescenz in combat gear charging the enemy with an M-60 machine gun, would be permanently displayed in the entrance of City Hall.
Crescenz is the only Philadelphia resident to receive the Medal of Honor for action during the Vietnam War. He received the medal posthumously for eliminating three machine gun bunkers which had halted the advance of his company near the South Vietnam village of Hiep Duc Nov. 20, 1968. Michael was 19 at the time.
During the meeting, a number of residents voiced support for veterans and thanked the city for its efforts to recognize the sacrifices of all veterans.
Rio Grande resident, Joseph Griffies, a Vietnam veteran, pointed out that medical care for veterans in South Jersey needs to be vastly improved. Currently, those veterans who need medical care provided by Veterans Affairs must travel to VA facilities in either Philadelphia or Wilmington, Del.
He asked that all politicians support bringing a VA facility to South Jersey or to allow veterans to use local hospitals for veterans’ care.
On Nov. 11, 2014, Sea Isle City memorialized Crescenz by dedicating the 100 block portion of 46th Street, in memory of Crescenz.
On May 2, 2015, the Philadelphia Veterans Medical Center was renamed the Cpl. Michael Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
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