8/16/2019 Asbury Park Press front page Monday, May 30 2016

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Salute our troopsToday’s the day we honor the sacrifice. For a complete list ofMemorial Day events and ceremonies, see Page 2A.

It’s FleetWeekAhoy, sailors! Take part inthe flotilla of activities inNew York City this week.

Ridethe JokerOr try any of the otherroller coasters at Six FlagsGreat Adventure in Jackson.

Place your betsThere won’t be a Triple Crown winner this year — but thatdoesn’t take away from the thrill of racing. Stop by MonmouthPark and see what you’ve been missing.

beacheditionYOUR WEEKEND GUIDE DOWN THE SHORE

All this and more inside! 2A

ADVICE 4C

BUSINESS 6A

CLASSIFIED 6C

COMICS 5C

LOCAL 3A

LOTTERIES 2A

OBITUARIES 7A

OPINION 9A

SPORTS 1D

WEATHER 8D

ASBURY PARK PRESS APP.COM $1.50

MONDAY 05.30.16

VOLUME137

NUMBER 129

SINCE 1879

700-plus migrants havedrowned trying to cross

Mediterranean.STORY, 1B

ASBURY PARK - On Memorial Day, folks across theland will remember friends and loved ones who gave theultimate sacrifice for their country. Don Tolhurst will thinkof the man in the photograph.

The photo is 71 years old now, but still in mint condition.It depicts what appears to be a soldier asleep on his back,hands folded across his stomach.

A closer look reveals a trickle of blood flowing from theright side of his mouth. He’s not sleeping. And he’s not quite

a soldier. It’s Ernie Pyle, America’s greatest war correspondent, right af-ter he was shot and killed during the Battle of Okinawa on April 18, 1945.

“The clothes that he’s wearing, I fixed for him,” said Tolhurst, whoworked in the tailor shop on a ship that transported Pyle to the battle. “Itwas a real shocker to hear he had been killed.”

The 89-year-old Tolhurst, who lives in Asbury Park, was just 17 at thetime. Pyle hung out in his shop because it was a good place to chat up a

Three local veterans tell their stories to observeMemorial Day. It’s vital to listen and salute our heroes.

THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

World War II veteran Donald Tolhurst holds a photo of famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle at his Asbury Parkhome. Tolhurst owns one of just two known copies of a photo of Pyle’s body after he was killed in action.

REMEMBERINGTHE FALLEN

“It’s a lost war

because it never

really had a

conclusion. Our

present-day

veterans are

fighting all these

spot wars all

over the world.”

JOHN O’NEILL,SPEAKING ABOUT THE KOREAN

WAR, IN WHICH MORE THAN

36,000 AMERICANS PERISHEDSee VETERANS, Page10A

JERRY CARINO CARINO’S CORNER

CBA senior Pat Andree averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds

per basketball game for the Colts.

Join Andree and Giants quarterback Eli M anning on June 13

at the Jersey Shore Sports Awards. Student-athletes being

honored and others wishing to attend must RSVP for their

tickets by June 8. Info: on.app.com/sportsawardstickets.

LONG BRANCH - Chantel Conant loves garden-ing. The cozy apartment she shares with her fatherand two sisters is filled with vegetation. Out front, avariety of young trees line the walkway to theirdoor.

Against long odds, the 23-year-old is trying togrow an orange tree in New Jersey’s less-than-hospi-table climate.

The lifelong Long Branch resident’s green thumb,and her knack for handling challenges, have openedthe door to a special opportunity. But she’ll needsome help to seize it.

In December Conant won her age group at New

Jersey’s Miss Amazing pageant, which showcasesgirls and women with disabilities. The victoryearned a spot at next month’s national pageant inChicago. Now she has to raise $1,500 for airfare andlodging, because that’s a steep price for a familythat shares one car among four drivers.

Meet Long Branch’s Miss AmazingJERRY CARINO  @NJHOOPSHAVEN

See CONANT, Page 5A

Chantel Conant won a statewide pageantfor women with disabilities. She needs helpgetting to the nationals in June. “It doesn’tmatter how big or small your disability is;you’re basically amazing just the way youare,” she said.

HELPING HANDS