UPDATE Regarding EVENTS

With thousands of like-minded followers, Patriot Connections has been dedicated to providing our veteran, military, first responder and patriot community with a comprehensive resource of events in NJ, PA and the surrounding areas for the last 10 years - including resources for veterans and first responders. Whether it's information on upcoming 5K Runs/Walks, Sporting Events, Job Fairs, Town Hall Meetings, Motorcycle Runs, Ceremonies, Dinners, Dances, Honor Missions, Welcome Homes, Golf Outings, or Resources for our Veterans, Military and 1st Responders. 

November 2021 - Over the last couple of years (including COVID), many events were cancelled/postponed and most organizations have chosen to list their events on social media platforms such as Facebook. Due to decrease in organizations listing their events directly on the Patriot Connection website, we primarily just list events on the Patriot Connections Facebook Page. Feel free to visit our Facebook Page for upcoming events and submit your events there. 

 

 

Dice Run - Amer Legion Mystic Island

Dice Run - Amer Legion Mystic Island

08/19/2017    
9:00 am
Dice Run, Saturday, August 19th. $20 per rider, $15 per passenger. $15 Walk In. Registration 9am to 11am. KSU at 11am. Check in at each stop to roll your dice. Stops include Motts Creek, Sweetwater Marina, Lower Bank Tavern, Sleepy Hollow and American Legion Post 493. Food Fun Music Raffle Prizes 50/50. Drunken clams playing 1-5pm. Benefits Childrens Organ Transplant Org
Festival of Flight Air and Car Show

Festival of Flight Air and Car Show

08/19/2017 - 08/20/2017    
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
46th Annual Air and Car Show at New Garden Airport August 19-20. Gates open at 9am. Air Show Includes Corsair Demo MARK MURPHEY US Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphine Rescue Demo Spirit of Freedom C54 Scott Francis Paul Dougherty Dan Marcotte Kevin Russo MAAM's B25 and TBM Jason Flood Air Shows Parachute Jump Team Giant Scale R/C Aircraft America's Sweethearts For more information please visit. www.newgardenflyingfield.com
Poker Run & BBQ

Poker Run & BBQ

08/19/2017    
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Annual Poker Run & BBQ Fundraiser. $25 per drive, $20 per pasenger. Registration 9am - 11am at Beachwood Fire Co, 745 Beachwood Blvd, Beachwood, NJ. Ride end and Lunch 1pm at Mayo Park. Food, Beer and more. BBQ ticket afe 21 and over $20. Ages 11 to 20 $8, Kids 10 and under free. Tickets at Mayo Park. Cash Prize for best hand. More info 732-349-0014
19 Aug

Emilio Ranieri Memorial Bike Run - Legion Riders

08/19/2017    
10:00 am
Sponsored by Freeland American Legion Riders Post 473 The ride starts at American Legion Riders Post 473, 523 Center Street in Freeland. Registration begins at 10:00 am and motorcycles go out at 12:00 pm. The ride ends with a meal, live entertainment and more. For more information call (570) 436-7570
Project Blue Light Memorial Ride to Stop Police Suicide - bikes, motorcycles, cars

Project Blue Light Memorial Ride to Stop Police Suicide - bikes, motorcycles, cars

08/19/2017    
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Please join us on August 19, 2017 for our 4th Annual Memorial Ride. The days events will include a short opening ceremony, the bike ride and a short closing ceremony. The bicycle ride begins at the Philadelphia Police Academy grounds and travels to the Living Flame Memorial at Franklin Square Park. After a short break cyclists will return to the academy grounds for the closing ceremonies. This is a rain or shine event. FREE, but please register at https://registration.ticketleap.com/project-blue-light-memorial-ride/dates/Aug-19-2017_at_1000AM The Project Blue Light Memorial Ride - We Ride to Stop Police Suicide . The Ride was started by the brother of a Philadelphia Police Officer who died by suicide in Dec 2010.
Benefit the family of Officer Joe Wenskoski

Benefit the family of Officer Joe Wenskoski

08/19/2017    
12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Protectors LEMC - We are dedicating this Anniversary Party to the family of the late Officer Joe Wenskoski. Until last year, Joe was a Police Officer in Edison NJ. He was experiencing bad headaches, and after visiting the doctor, received the worst news of his life, Joe had a brain tumor. A fierce warrior, Joe never gave up. Determined to beat cancer, Joe went through surgeries and chemo therapy, time after time. Recently it was revealed his wife Tracy is pregnant with twins due this summer. Unfortunately Joe lost his battle with cancer on June 1st. Proceeds from this event will go to Tracy and their yet to be born twins. Please come out and help support the Wenskoski family.
74/75 Band - Summer Concert

74/75 Band - Summer Concert

08/19/2017    
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
The Coatesville VAMC Arts & Humanities Committee along with Voluntary Service presents a free summer concert for all Veterans! Please join us on Saturday, August 19th from 5 to 7 p.m. to listen to the 74/75 Band. The concert will take place in the Outdoor Pavilion area near the outdoor pool & parking lot E (or Bldg. 5, Great Hall in the event of inclement weather). Refreshments will be served.
Black Tie Fashion Style Gala

Black Tie Fashion Style Gala

08/19/2017    
5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Black Tie Fashion Style Gala: Attire Business Casual - "It's your business, It's your casual" - Come as you are...Must Be 21 years old TICKETS $25.00 Come out to Support our Veterans hosted by Scotland Community Association This will be a night that you will REMEMBER There will be Red Carpet, Meet & Greet, Cocktail Reception, a Hosted Wine and Spirits Bar 3 course meal, Silent Auction, fish bowls, wheel of chance and much more Modeling, Dancing, Special Guest, Award Ceremony & After Dark Entertainment- DJ Victoria McCoy USMC Veteran our Master of Ceremony VIP's: Deven Schei US Army Veteran Guest Speaker from Wounded Warrior Project, Ms. Kelli Walters Wilhelmina Founder of Wilhelmina Model Mrs. Emvi Bardot of Mrs. Pageant With a Purpose, Mrs. New [...]
Black Tie Fashion Style Gala

Black Tie Fashion Style Gala

08/19/2017    
5:00 pm - 11:30 pm
This event you can expect a Red Carpet entrance with photo opportunities, as the red carpet continues into the lobby area where they will be VIP’s and Special Guest doing photo ops with our attendees. Immediately after this you will have a personal escort into the Grand Ballroom. Where we will have a cocktail reception, a host of wine and spirits bar, silent/live auctions, 3 course dinner, modeling, guest speaker, dancing as well as an awards ceremony. This event attendees and guest are from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia and New York. There will also be local and state officials in attendance. This event will be a memorable program. We will have attendees from sports franchises, Talk radio and TV celebrities and musical [...]
A Night at the Races - Benefit for Semper Fido

A Night at the Races - Benefit for Semper Fido

08/19/2017    
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
USS New Jersey Masonic Lodge No. 62 is holding a fundraiser on August 19 that will benefit Semper Fido. The Semper Fido organization saves shelter dogs and trains them to be service companions for veterans with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries. It takes 6-9 months and costs around $30,000 just to train, board, and prepare 1 dog to be paired with a veteran! So, USS New Jersey Lodge is trying to help out as a way to thank veterans that sacrificed so much for our country. The Night at the Races event will be a fun-filled evening with video horse races, raffles, dinner, and a 50/50 drawing. While dinner is included, it is a BYOB event. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the [...]
Beef & Beer Benefit "Vets Helping Vets"

Beef & Beer Benefit "Vets Helping Vets"

08/19/2017    
7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
James N. Hogan Gloucester County Dancing With the Stars to benefit "Vets Helping Vets" $25 held at the Mantua, Lawson Cox VFW... Aug 19th 7-11pm tickets are available at the door or call (609) 221-3864
Karaoke Night at Post 311

Karaoke Night at Post 311

08/19/2017    
8:00 pm
8pm until Midnight. Kitchen will be serving food. Come sing any song you want.... and maybe someone will sing God Bless America!
19 Aug

Family Movie Night Under the Stars

08/19/2017    
8:15 pm - 10:30 pm
MCKAIG-TEST-MULLEN AMERICAN LEGION POST 455 FAMILY IS PROUD TO SHARE A FEATURE PRESENTATION OF KID FRIENDLY MOVIE.... SPONSORED BY THE UNIT 455 AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY JRs AND SQUADRON 455 YOUNG SONs OF THE AMERICAN LEGION. FREE MOVIE AND ONE FREE POPCORN SATURDAY AUGUST 19TH 2017 MOVIE WILL BEGIN AT DUSK (Between 8:15 PM TO 8:30 PM) 2 MEADOWBROOK LANE NEW EGYPT, NJ (THE AMERICN LEGION’s BACKYARD AREA) ...REFRESHMENTS WILL BE AVAILABILE FOR PURCHASE… ...COME ON OUT FOR A FUN FAMILY EVENING...DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR BLANKETS AND LAWN CHAIRS... For more information contact Charline at: cgladden41@yahoo.com or (609)271-1100
 


PATRIOT CONNECTIONS DOG TAG PROJECT

The Patriot Connections DOG TAG PROJECT MISSION: Return dog tags that were lost and found to the veterans they belong to or their families. If you believe we may have your dog tag please contact Director of Research/Returns Sue Quinn-Morris at squinn9807@aol.com or 856-495-7270.

THE DOG TAG COLLECTIONS

SOUTH JERSEY COLLECTION – This collection of dog tags (450) journey home began in 1993 from DaNang and China Beach area in Vietnam where they were being sold in shops. Gloucester County Time Reporter Jim Six asked the then Deptford Police Chief Ray Milligan to purchase as many as he could and bring them home, as Milligan traveled back and forth to Vietnam for Operation Smile. He brought back 450 of them and gave them to Jim Six. Over the years several people/organizations worked with Jim Six on returning some of the dog tags. In 2010, he gave the rest to us to try and locate and return the rest of them. With much effort and research, we have located many, completed returns and have more returns underway throughout the United States. 

BOUGOURD COLLECTION - This collection of dog tags began their journey home after British Army/Navy veteran, Aaron Bougourd, received them from the family of Major Thien in 2006. Bougourd had been volunteering for the Father Ray Foundation Orphanage in Thialand when he met Major Thien, and helped him find his lost family in Vietnam. Thien, a South Vietnamese officer living as a refugee. Major Ly Kim Thien was commissioned as an officer of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in 1964 and served in several capacities throughout Vietnam up until the fall of Saigon in 1975. It was after this that he was sent to a communist reeducation camp, where he was tortured and forced to denounce his anti-communist beliefs. In 1994 he escaped Vietnam on foot through Cambodia and on to Thailand, which is where Aaron Bougourd met him. Thien’s family, as a token of appreciation, gave Bougourd some dog tags they had found at Ben Hoa Air Base. Aaron, a resident of the UK, reached out and sent some of the dog tags to Patriot Connections Dog Tag Project to help return them. Returns are underway. 

SANTAYANA COLLECTION - Touring the Ho Chi Minh trail in 1998, Wall Street trader Manny Santayana stumbled onto a Vietnamese man who made a living out of extracting bombs from the ground, grinding up the metal and selling it for profit. Sometime he would stumble upon dog tags from U.S. soldiers, which he would collect and store in an ammo bag under his bed. Santayana paid him $100 for 105 dog tags and brought them back home.Over the next several years, he was able to make some returns to dog tag owners, but he eventually became too busy to continue with the research. He then enlisted the help of Senator James Beach, who formed a committee for dog tag returns – Quinn-Morris has researched and facilitated returns from this collection. The collection is stored in the NJ State House.

HUTCHINGS COLLECTION - In December 2012, Jack Hutchings, a prominent businessman in Florida,  had been traveling on his yacht in the Solomon Islands. There, the villagers gave him some American WWII dog tags they had found. He brought them home in hopes of getting them returned to the veterans/families. . Upon returning home, he stumbled across a newspaper article in the Orlando-Sentinel about the dog tag return to USMC Vietnam veteran, James Alderman that we did. This prompted him to contact us in hopes that we could located and return the dog tags to the veterans/families they belong to.

MISC COLLECTIONS - From time to time we are contacted by people that have found dog tags and are looking for help in returning them. As long as they are looking to do so with NO CHARGE to the veteran, we do aide them in finding and returning.

Organizations helping with Dog Tag Project The following organizations have and continue to aid with the return of the dog tags nationwide; Nam Knights of America MC, American Legion Riders, VFW Riders, Warriors Watch Riders, Patriot Guard Riders, various American Legion Posts and VFW Posts. Returns have taken place in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois, New York, Arizona, Tennessee, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Ohio, Maine, Kentucky, Washington DC, Oregon, Texas, California, Washington and Michigan.

It is essential to the Project that the dog tags are handled and delivered to the veterans and/or their families in a dignified manner.  From the moment the dog tag is handed off, to the moment it reaches the hand of the veteran, the dog tag is well cared for and attended to, to ensure that it arrives to the veteran/family safely. If you believe we may have your dog tag, or a dog tag that belongs to a family member or friend, please contact Director of Research/Returns Sue Quinn-Morris at squinn9807@aol.com or 856-495-7270.

* Over 100 dog tags have been reunited with the veterans/families they belonged to. Please bear with us as we update the dog tag return stories and dog tag lists *