thedrifter
10-31-07, 09:43 AM
Retired NJ marine to receive award
by Kristen Alloway
Wednesday October 31, 2007, 5:48 AM
For the past few years, retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Mario Monaco has helped bring a touch of home to wounded troops at military hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Blankets, toiletries, cosmetics for the female troops, even the occasional laptop computer -- Monaco finds ways to get the items donated and ships them to the hospitals. He also recruits other Marines who travel to the hospitals about once a month to hand out the care packages and visit with the troops.
For his work with the Marines Helping Marines program, Monaco will receive the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Award for Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Service at the Pentagon today. The honor is given annually to a person or organization demonstrating patriotism and concern for members of the armed forces or their families.
"It's a Marine thing," said Monaco, 40, a father-of-three from Fairfield. "You know what it feels like to leave your family, your wife. Now there's somebody who's going to help them out."
Brig. Gen. William Phillips, commander of Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, where Monaco's unit is based, nominated him for the award. Monaco retired two years ago from the Marine reserves after serving 20 years.
The award is named for the Fishers who founded the Fisher House program in 1990, dedicating more than $20 million to the construction of homes for families of hospitalized military personnel. There are 29 Fisher Houses at military bases and at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers around the country.
For information on the Marines Helping Marine program, go to www.mcleague.org.
Ellie
by Kristen Alloway
Wednesday October 31, 2007, 5:48 AM
For the past few years, retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Mario Monaco has helped bring a touch of home to wounded troops at military hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Blankets, toiletries, cosmetics for the female troops, even the occasional laptop computer -- Monaco finds ways to get the items donated and ships them to the hospitals. He also recruits other Marines who travel to the hospitals about once a month to hand out the care packages and visit with the troops.
For his work with the Marines Helping Marines program, Monaco will receive the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Award for Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Service at the Pentagon today. The honor is given annually to a person or organization demonstrating patriotism and concern for members of the armed forces or their families.
"It's a Marine thing," said Monaco, 40, a father-of-three from Fairfield. "You know what it feels like to leave your family, your wife. Now there's somebody who's going to help them out."
Brig. Gen. William Phillips, commander of Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, where Monaco's unit is based, nominated him for the award. Monaco retired two years ago from the Marine reserves after serving 20 years.
The award is named for the Fishers who founded the Fisher House program in 1990, dedicating more than $20 million to the construction of homes for families of hospitalized military personnel. There are 29 Fisher Houses at military bases and at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers around the country.
For information on the Marines Helping Marine program, go to www.mcleague.org.
Ellie