Southern Ocean Hometown Hero Celebrated For Service

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ — When hometown hero Bert Politoski was being discharged by Seacrest Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, the Little Egg Harbor nursing facility knew they had to do something to honor him after his recovery from knee surgery.

Seacrest partnered with local leadership, including Mayor of Tuckerton Susan Marshall and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12173, in order to honor Politoski for both his military service and his dedication to the environment, according to a Seacrest news release.

Politoski is a staple of the Little Egg Harbor area and many are likely to have seen him around as since 1989, he has dedicated himself to walking 20 miles a day, picking up nearly 2,000 pounds of garbage along the way.

Politoski, who was a West Point graduate and rose to the rank of Captain serving at Fort Dix, has walked over 200,000 miles according to Seacrest, which is the equivalent of more than eight times around the earth.

A seven-minute-mile runner in his youth, Politoski chose Seacrest for his recovery after an April knee surgery as his mother had previously stayed there, the facility said.

“I have always said that what makes this area so special are the people,” said Politoski. “I certainly felt that here at Seacrest and am touched by all the recognition.”

During his recognition event, Bonnie Beau of the VFW presented Politoski with a proclamation “For Meritorious and Distinguished Service in Furthering the Aims and Ideals of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.”

Also in attendance were Little Egg Harbor Committee Member Ken Laney, Police Chief James Hawkins, Captain Michael Hart, Lieutenant Thomas Thornton and Ken Hagerman of the VFW, as well as Seacrest leadership.

“Thanks to my rehab at Seacrest, I plan to get back to my walks and helping preserve the natural beauty of our area,” said Politoski. He credits the entire team at Seacrest for his recovery with particular recognition to Laura Jones, life enrichment assistant; Mark Collins, rehab director; Kim Hoffman, director of admissions; Samantha Brown, CNA; and Donna Hickman, social worker.

Seacrest is located at 1001 Center St. and provides post-hospital care, short-term rehab and long-term residential care. The 171-bed skilled nursing facility, which is undergoing a multi-million-dollar enhancement, carries a five-star designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for both overall quality and quality of resident care. More information on the facility and its programming can be found at seacrestrehabhc.com.