BARNEGAT LIGHT, NJ — Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and area veterans came together for a special ceremony to honor servicemen who perished in a little known military exercise during World War II.

Thursday marked the 23rd year that the Coast Guard has performed the wreath laying at sea ceremony to honor those who died and the few local World War II Exercise Tiger veterans who survived. The day also marked the 67th anniversary of Exercise Tiger.

Susan Haines, the national director of the Exercise Tiger Foundation, came from Missouri to take part in the ceremony. The New Jersey Exercise Tiger Association began in 1989 with two veterans of the battle — Bud Carey and New Jersey resident Tom Glynn. Glynn could not be present for Thursday's service.

The day's event almost didn't happen. Several key people responsible for Exercise Tiger were not available to set it up this year so Coast Guard Auxiliary member Edna M. Winans of Stafford decided to take on the challenge of coordinating it.

"Because I attended last year, one of the Navy veterans (Dan Staruch of Lacey) called me to see if they were having it. They did not have a local contact to set it up so I volunteered to try to coordinate it."

Staruch, who served aboard the submarine USS Bluegill SS242 during the Vietnam War, attended the ceremony along with some World War II veterans who are his fellow members from the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc.

"I got involved in coming to this ceremony five or six years ago after meeting Jack Smith, who was also from Lacey. He had survived Exercise Tiger, D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge," Staruch said. Smith died about three years ago, Staruch said, adding he wanted to do what he could to continue the tradition.

"They kept this (Exercise Tiger) quiet until the 1960s to keep face. The American public has to be educated more about history," said U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran Jake Engelman of Yardville.

Several of the honored veterans joined Coast Guard Station Commanding Officer Jay Greiner on a 47-foot Boater Lifeboat to drop the wreaths into the sea at the conclusion of the event.

"We are also remembering one of our own today. USCG Petty Officer Nathan Bruckenthal, who was killed in combat off Iraq in 2003," Greiner said after thanking the veterans for their service. "Your service made the world safe."

 

 

 

~efl 05-28-11