331 Route 46 Budd Lake
Formerly High Noon
See our ad on page 45
HAPPY HOUR
4:30-6:30 • Mon. - Tues. - Thurs
FREE APPETIZER! (with purchase of a drink) No. 17 Vol. 11
My Life Publications • 1-800-691-7549
November 2021
With this coupon. Cannot be combined. Expires 12/31/21. Lakeside Tavern Only.
Hero Next Door: Ret. Maj. Anthony F. DeStefano
I
By Alexander Rivero t is a good thing to know that people like Ret. Maj. Anthony F. DeStefano exist in the world, and that some of them do so a mere stone’s throw away from where we live. Indeed, the Hackettstown resident’s military record alone is impressive enough, but one might argue that what he has accomplished in the years since his retirement from the Army in 2006 is worth not only applauding but perhaps following. In 1982, after falling out of love with the rock band in which he was playing in his native Everett, Massachusetts, DeStefano sat down to watch An Officer and a Gentleman starring Richard Gere as a young Naval officer. Something clicked within. Moved by the film, he enlisted in the Massachusetts Army National Guard that year and completed his Basic Training at Fort Dix. For the next eight years he served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) ranked seventh out of the 51 applicants that remained from the original 151. Leaving OCS with the rank of Second Lieutenant, DeStefano was ready for what would come next, which for him was another eight-year stint in the Army National Guard, this time in South Carolina, and then a final eight-year assignment in the Army Reserve out of Atlanta for a total of 24 years of military service that saw him rise to the rank of major.
P
By his account, DeStefano also visited “many interesting places.” Most notable were the ancient cities of Cairo and Alexandria which he explored in his free time as a participant in Operation Bright Star—a biannually held series of combined and joint training exercises led by US and Egyptian forces in Egypt. “I went to Bright Star three times,” recalls DeStefano, “twice with the 228th Signal Brigade while I was in South Carolina, and once with the 335th Theater Signal Command.” While in Egypt, DeStefano was able to see the Great Pyramids, feast on fresh prawns in Alexandria, and get to know the Egyptian people. He was “blown away”, he recalls, “by the way in which the Egyptians loved their children, the way they spoke to them, the gentleness with which they treated them. There was nothing but love pouring out of those parents for their kids.” It was while working as a reservist with the 335th Theater Signal Command, which oversaw all of southwest Asia, including Iraq and Afghanistan, that DeStefano was placed on active duty just after the September 11 attacks. Thus began his 22-month-long deployment to Kuwait, an experience on which he kept detailed, daily notes. As communications specialist, DeStefano helped set up telemedicine circuits to link information between Army Medical Centers in Washington, DC and Germany to medical practitioners at facilities in Iraq
Free Thanksgiving Dinner 2021
lease come and Be Our Guest on Thanksgiving Day! We will be hosting a Traditional Thanksgiving Family Dinner for anyone who will be alone or any individual or family facing financial hardship on Thanksgiving Day at the Mt. Olive Senior Center starting at 1:00 p.m. Meal deliveries will also be available
for drop off on November 24. MUST CALL TO RESERVE! Please call Mary at 973-768-1815 or email at mary. lalama@gmail.com to reserve your seat now. Due to COVID-19, all those coming in person are required to be vaccinated and in good health.
and Kuwait. He was surprised at the Kuwaiti hesitancy to upgrade the technology in their hospitals, preferring to write everything down by hand, keep physical files, and communicate only by telephone. “They never understood why Americans needed computers in hospitals. But we gradually overcame their objections. It wasn’t easy. All their comms lines were cemented into the walls because they never thought to continued on page 4
King Wok
FREE Delivery (min. $12) within 3 mls Delivery charge $1 over 4 mls $2 over 6 mls
Famous Chinese Food
Improves sleep Enhances mood Stimulates blood flow
Relaxes tight muscles Reduces inflammation Improves mobility
Shortens recovery time Releases the body’s natural pain killers
1 OLD WOLFE ROAD • Lakeview Plaza • BUDD LAKE • 973-527-7978 • www.mtoliveacupuncture.com
We Deliver to: Budd Lake, Flanders, Netcong, Stanhope, Ledgewood, Succasunna, Hackettstown, Landing, Hopatcong
100% VEGETABLE OIL Eat In & Take Out We Serve Quality Food OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK We Use Low Salt on Regular Food MSG We Use No Salt on Diet (Light) Food M-Th 11-10:30 F&S 1-11 100% Diet Food Lose Weight S 12-10 Budd Lake Plaza
141 Route 46 East, Budd Lake (next to Domino’s Pizza)
973-691-6988 • 973-691-8890 www.kingwokbuddlake.com • wwwnjkingwok.com CASH PAYMENT CASH PAYMENT CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON CASH COUPON CASH COUPON
FREE $4.90 CHICKEN $2OFF OFF LO MEIN any purchase of $20 any purchase every order or more of $49 or more over $30
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included.
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included.
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included.