The Frassetto and Weis families have another touching remembrance of their sons that will be viewed by Toms River High School North students for years to come.
PFC Vincent Frassetto, United States Marine Corps, was a resident of Toms River and graduated from Toms River High School North in 2003. In 2006, at just 21 years old, Frassetto was killed in action in the Anbar province in Iraq when his convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device.
At the October 27, 2009 Toms River Township council meeting, Mayor Thomas Kelaher presented the parents of Frassetto, with a sign reading “Vincent Frassetto Memorial Highway” to honor the fallen war hero. A Resolution declared that a portion of Hooper Avenue (Rt.549) would be in honor of PFC Vincent Frassetto, United States Marine Corps. The sign was unveiled shortly after that meeting and still stands on Hooper Avenue, near the Ocean County Mall.
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Marine Maj. James M. Weis, 37, also a Toms River North graduate, died July 22, 2010 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when his Cobra gunship helicopter was shot down while supporting combat operations. To honor Major Weis’s patriotism, the Toms River Township Council added a sign just outside Toms River High School North renaming a portion of Old Freehold Road as the Maj. James J. Weis, USMC Memorial Highway.
Mayor Kelaher, a former U.S. Marine, said, “I was involved in the original placement of the memorial signs and this project hit home for me. Since the Frassetto and Weis dedications,we’ve gathered many photographs, and I thought it might be a good idea to put all of the pictures together and make a nice collage to present to their school, so that these students and future students will be aware of their contributions to our country.”
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PFC Frassetto’s mother, Teri, was at High School North to receive the collage. She said, “This collage is great. I’m very proud to have it here in the school so that all of the kids can see it.These photos are from the day that they dedicated the sign on Hooper Avenue.”
PFC Frassetto’s collage will hang at the entrance of the Pine Belt Arena, while Maj. Weis’s collage can be viewed in the lobby of Toms River High School North.
A similar collage depicting Major James Weis’ dedication was forwarded to his squadron commander at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA, who, in turn, presented it to Major Weis’s wife and children.
