RED BANK VETS DAY KEYNOTE LAMENTS: "WE ARE STILL FALLING SHORT"

Joe Minella sings “God Bless America” at the Red Bank Veterans Day ceremony, which was moved inside the Red Bank Elks club due to cold weather. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

The Borough of Red Bank marked Veterans Day Tuesday with children singing and reading essays, ovations for veterans, bagpipers, and a pointed speech by a US Navy veteran about the problems facing veterans and the US military in an era of upheaval.

US Navy Veteran Allison Blackstock delivered a keynote address that highlighted the service and sacrifice of veterans, beginning her address by asking all veterans present to stand for a moving round of applause from the crowd inside the Red Bank Elks Club.

But setting aside the platitudes typical of these ceremonies, she also lamented the struggles many veterans face with homelessness, mental health, and economic insecurity. (See embedded audio of the full keynote address below.)

Brian Donohue · 2025 Red Bank Veterans Day keynote address

“I do not think I would be honoring them properly without reminding us today that recognition of veteran service falls short when it does not also recognize the lives they continue to lead beyond the military,” said Blackstock, who was born in Red Bank and now lives in Rumson. “Because the truth is that even with veterans affairs programs all over the country, the over 100 veteran service organizations, and the tens of thousands of non-profits serving veterans all over the country, we are still falling short.”

Blackstock (pictured at right) cited statistics showing 1.2 million vets living below the poverty line; suicide rates far above that of the general population; the deportation of veterans by immigration authorities; a recent rise in unemployment among vets, and a reduction in the Veterans Administration workforce despite 200,000 pending claims.

She also criticized a wave of firings and leadership changes at the Pentagon, saying the US military is becoming more politicized.

Five minutes into her seven-minute address, she was subtly heckled by at least one person who didn’t want to hear it, yelling from the bar area, “It’s Veterans Day!”

But following the ceremony, she was also approached by a fellow Navy Veteran who thanked her, he said, for “saying what needs to be said.”

Blackstock graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2010 with the first class of women eligible for submarine service, according to her bio in the program published by the Borough of Red Bank. She served as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard USS New York LPD-21 and at the Naval Safety Center, it reads.

Pilgrim Baptist Church member and 92-year old US Army Korean War veteran Al James receives a standing ovation at the Red Bank Veterans Day ceremony inside the Red Bank Elks. (photo by Brian Donohue)

Flags fly in the stiff wind at Riverside Gardens Park, where the Veterans Day ceremony had been scheduled to take place. It was moved indoors due to the wind and cold.

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.