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. 

 

 

24 Oct

21st Annual Cooper Kids Toy Run

10/24/2015    
9:00 am
Cooper Kids - Line up begins at 9am. Ride begins at 11am. Return to Rocking Stone for Discount Lunch.
24 Oct

Philly 1st Platoon Block Wall Party

10/24/2015    
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
The City of Philadelphia struggles with some of the highest poverty rates in the country. The Mission Continues 1st Platoon Philadelphia will partner with The Veterans Group to ensure some of the 1,400 homeless veterans in Philadelphia have access to safe shelter, food and social services. The Mission Continues 1st Platoon Philadelphia is mobilizing once again to help improve the lives of residents transitioning at The Philadelphia Veterans Group. Platoon members will create a safe place so that these men and women have a greater chance to overcome challenges and find success in Philadelphia.Together, we will demolish an old dilapidated perimeter block wall and assist in constructing a new block wall. We are in need of volunteers who have experience in masonry or just enjoy [...]
4th Annual Operation Veterans Chili Challenge

4th Annual Operation Veterans Chili Challenge

10/24/2015    
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. @ the Fourth Annual Operation Veterans Chili Challenge located at Mt. Carmel Carnival Grounds, 1 Mt. Carmel Way, Hammonton, New Jersey, 08037. Help raise needed funds for our Brave Heroes @ Veterans Haven South in Winslow, N.J., who have fought for our country and for our FREEdom, but also to help raise awareness to the 7,000-8,000 Homeless Veterans in the State of New Jersey. Opening ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m. Chili contestants will be challenging one another with their unique talents in cooking the very best chili in South Jersey . Apart from the annual cook-off, we will have local participating sponsors, vendors, food, crafters, bands, raffles, and more. The event will be hosted on [...]
24 Oct

Welcome Home Cpl Foley

10/24/2015    
12:15 pm
Warriors Watch Posting - We have been ask by the family of Cpl. Foley to welcome him home in "ROCK STAR" fashion and that's just whatwe will do Rally point: Goucester City Little League Majors Field, 32 N Johnson Blvd, Gloucester City, NJ 08030 GPS: 39.894830, -75.113895 Rally time: 1215 KSU: 1250
24 Oct

End of Season BBQ - Amer Legion

10/24/2015    
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Fall is a great time for a BBQ ! Only 15.00 pp $1.50 Bunker Bar Drafts - Drink Specials - Live Entertainment and Great Food! Squadron 129 Fund Raiser!! - NO RAIN DATE - Will move inside the Post Hall if raining!
24 Oct

Annual MCLEF Philadelphia Gala

10/24/2015    
6:00 pm
On Saturday, October 24, 2015, the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation will hold its annual Philadelphia Dinner and Gala. The dinner will be held at 6:00 pm on October 24, 2015 at The Crystal Tea Room, 100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The price of the ticket is $200.00 per person which includes hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, open bar and dinner. Our Military Guest of Honor will be General John Paxton, Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. The Eagle, Globe and Anchor Award, named after our past Chairman, Jack Cummings will be presented to Bob Cummins. The annual Semper Fi Award named after our friend, James Wagner, will be presented to Special Agent Gary Rizzo. To order your tickets, go to http://www.mclefphila.org/events/ [...]
24 Oct

Halloween Boo Bash - Amer Leg

10/24/2015    
7:00 pm
Mark your calendar another great event. Our Halloween party will be the best ever. Boo Bash - Prizes for Best Costumes, DJ Jack, Draft Beer/Wine, Food, 50/50. Starts at 7pm. $20 to enter
 


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 *