New Jersey Veterans Get Father's Day Gift

Photo By 1st Sgt. Wayne Woolley | World War II Navy Veteran Ignatius Finizio, 94, and his wife, Nettie, 93, enjoy a socially-distanced Father’s Day visit with their daughters Rosemary and Susan Finizio at the Veterans Memorial Home in Paramus, N.J. while New Jersey Army National Guard Spc. Wenjie Zhang looks on. Soldiers and Airmen from the New Jersey National Guard have been assisting staff at Paramus and the state’s two other Veterans Memorial Homes in Vineland and Menlo Park since the outbreak of COVID-19 in March. On Sunday, Soldiers and Airmen assisted New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs staff at the homes to facilitate in-person visits for residents of the homes. It was the first time since the outbreak of the virus that such face-to-face meetings were possible. “It was wonderful to see them so close,” said Rosemary Finizio. “At their age, every second is precious.” (Army National Guard Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Woolley)  

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES

06.22.2020

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Woolley 

New Jersey National Guard   

When COVID-19 infections began sweeping through nursing homes across the country in March, the Veterans Memorial Home Paramus was forced to prohibit in-person visits from resident’s families.

For Cynthia Miller, it meant a halt to weekly visits with her father, Thomas Miller, a wheelchair-bound Navy Veteran who served aboard the USS Pittsburgh during the Korean War.

“It was rough on my Dad and it was rough on us,” said Cynthia Miller. “That’s why this Father’s Day has been such a gift.”

The Millers were among the more than 50 families across New Jersey who were able to enjoy their first-in person visit on Father’s Day with a relative who lives in one of the three Veterans Memorial Homes operated by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA). In addition to Paramus, DMAVA also operates Veterans Memorial Homes in Menlo Park and Vineland.

The visitations were facilitated in part by Airmen and Soldiers of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, who have been assisting with patient care at the homes following a mobilization in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Air Guard Staff Sgt. Julio Abreu Is among the military personnel assigned to the home and said duty on Father’s Day was one of the most personally-gratifying parts of the mission.

“To help these Veterans spend time with their families on Father’s Day is a big deal,” he said. “I’ve got three kids and I understand how important that is.”

The New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes are open to eligible veterans and their spouses.

That meant that 94-year-old Ignatius Finizio and his wife, 93-year-old Nettie Finizio, were able to visit with their daughters, Rosemary and Susan for the first time since late February.

The couple beamed as they were reunited with their daughters.

“It was wonderful to see them so close,” said Rosemary Finizio. “At their age, every second is precious.”

• Date Taken: 06.22.2020
• Date Posted: 06.23.2020 12:30
• Story ID: 372572
• Location: PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY, US