Two Officers Promoted, Five Officers Made Full Time

By Bob Vosseller

Township Clerk Mary Moss did the honors of swearing in the officers to their new status in the Jackson Police Department following Police Chief Matt Kunz’s brief background bio of each officer.

Sgt. Robert M. Reiff Jr. attended both Lock Haven University, (Pa.) and Ocean County College, after which he enjoyed his first career as commercial truck driver (Officers - See Page 13)

Tallon told The Jackson Times, she failed

During her public comment, Tallon said, “I asked seven of the nine candidates who came if their interviews included questions on abortion. None of them had. Not even the other two women who stayed to hear the voting (Candidate - See Page 5)

Progress Made On Forming Open Space Committee

By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Township officials

got an update to the proposed Open Space Advisory Committee that was introduced but was not approved earlier in the year.

There was debate over who got to choose members of the committee – the mayor or the council? There’s a political divide between two Republican groups that is spilling over into appointing members to do jobs in town.

Township Council members voiced concerns that it needed more input on the selection process of the citizens group.

Councilman Nino Borrelli said during a recent Council meeting that he and members of the council have

(Space - See Page 16)

Post 4703.

Jamison was part of the mainland landing at Omaha Beach France and on November 29, 1944 he was wounded in combat and later when he was transported to a field hospital the plane he was riding in hit a fuel tank in the roadway causing the wing of the aircraft to be ripped off.

Hundreds of people came out to cheer on the World War II veteran. The community wanted to make sure he had a memorable centennial birthday and that mission was clearly accomplished.

He had a special day named after him, a parade and one heck of a party with friends and family at the VFW hall.

Wally Day kicked off with a parade that served to honor the longtime Jackson resident who was wounded during his service in World War II.

His son Steven watched the vehicle count grow and shared with The Jackson Times, a bit of unknown knowledge about his popular dad.

“There are too many stories to tell. We’ve lived in Jackson all our life. It was very rural when we were kids. Everybody was somebody’s relative. Before we were born he worked for moonshiners. When he was a young kid he was a look out. They had a chair out by the road and they ran a doorbell from the road back to where the still was. They told him, you sit there and if you see the state police coming or the game warden, you ring that bell and you run like hell,” Steven Jamison said.

“So that’s what he did. He lived in Cassville and he would walk through the woods from Cassville almost to Ridgeway Liquors and pick teaberries in the woods. He would sell them to the moonshiners and they would put that in their moonshine to give it a little taste. I think he got 25 cents or 50 cents and that was quite a bit of money at that time,” his son added.

His son added that Jamison was a member of the Seven Buck Gun Club. “The gun club when we were young was big part of your life here. He belonged to the gun club for a long time. It wasn’t like sporting it was a way to put food on the table actually.”

“He worked for the Ocean County Road Department for 45 years,” Steven Jamison said.

As for Wally’s children, “he has the four of us and a stepdaughter. Most of us and some cousins are here today,” he added. Jamison has 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren and three great, great grandchildren

Wally just chuckled when asked about his secret of longevity. His wife remarked, “he doesn’t always talk. If you needed a husband, you would want one like Wally. We’ve never had a fight and we’ve been married for 40 years.”

She added, “he is a wonderful, wonderful man and it isn’t just me or members of his family saying it, it is everybody who has worked with him or knows him.”

“He was also in the movies. They did a movie honoring his great grandfather Eli- son Jamison. Elison went into the service in the New Jersey 14th Volunteers and was 43 years old when he went into the service. He lost two of his sons in the war and he is buried in Cassville. We got to be extras in the filming,” she added They met at work. “We were part of the office on aging and he started in 1977 and he became our boss in ‘78. He was one of those people who could make anything happen. He got all his fellow veterans to give us their charter so they could apply for vehicles from the federal government through the state to get veterans free of charge to utilize the facilities and that was back in ‘78,” she said.

Jamison’s son Mark said of his dad, “when I went to college in the early ‘70s, I came home for a couple of summers but I really haven’t lived here so I’ve lived vicariously through everyone who is here. We used to go hunting and we had a property that had a couple of cranberry bogs and we fished over there. We did a lot of outdoor activities.”

“He founded the VFW and the Cassville Fire Company,” Marge Jamison added. “He is also a charter member of the Ocean County Purple Hearts and the State Purple Hearts.”

Police Chief Matthew Kunz said “the PBA did a great job putting this together and one of our officers, Matt Jamison is Wally’s great nephew. My wife has a long relationship with the Jamisons from their work and history with the township.”

The parade consisted of various police/fire/ emergency vehicles, motorcycles, military vehicles and classic cars. Wally was able to see a matching contingent of the parade including police and veteran honor guards, pipe bands, high school bands and others who were present to cheer him on.

Along the parade route on Bennetts Mills Road, were Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who lined up the roadway as well as fire trucks displaying American flags. The parade concluded around noon at the 54 Magnolia Drive headquarters of the Jackson VFW Post.

That is when the party started. It featured food, beverages, music by a live band, and a ceremony.

Mike Basso, who was one of the key coordinators of the event, told The Jackson Times, “This event is a joint effort being coordinated by Jackson PBA 168 and Jackson VFW Post 4703. Wally is a national treasure and true American hero who deserves the best 100th birthday party possible.”

“With such an impressive resume, I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t made a movie about him yet,” Basso added.

Outside the VFW with a large American flag flying in the wind hoisted from a Cassville fire truck was a large crowd waiting for Wally and his family. Jackson Police Officer Michael DeBlasi served as master of ceremonies introducing several speakers at the outside bandstand podium, Mayor Michael Reina, 12th District Senator Samuel Thompson, Colonel Mitch Wisniewski, Command Sgt. Major Jimmy Vanzlike, Brigadier General Thomas Evans and the commander of the VFW Post, TJ Crennan. DeBlasi said Jamison served (Vet - See Page 12)