Each summer, U.S. military veterans who live in or visit Sea Isle City can receive a complimentary Veterans Beach Tag, which allows them to enjoy the resort’s beaches without paying beach fees.
Sea Isle’s 2020 Veterans Beach Tag commemorates the 50th anniversary of Army Corporal Michael Crescenz posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor. The beach tag is engraved with the image of the 19-year-old war hero wearing his medal.
“We are proud to call Corporal Crescenz one of our own, and we felt it was very important to honor his memory in this way,” Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio said. “Our hearts go out to the entire Crescenz family and all of Michael’s friends as we remember the 50th anniversary of his distinguished honor.”
A Philadelphia native and graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School, Crescenz spent the summers of his youth in Sea Isle. In September 1968, he entered the Vietnam War, serving as a rifleman in Company A, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment.
On the morning of Nov. 20, 1968, Corporal Crescenz’s unit was pinned down by enemy gunfire that killed the two point men in his unit and halted the advance of Company A.
Disregarding his own safety, he grabbed a machine gun and raced 100 meters up a slope toward several enemy bunkers, which he effectively silenced. Sadly, moments later, Corporal Crescenz was mortally wounded by gunfire from a camouflaged bunker. However, his bravery allowed the remaining men in his unit to advance and complete their mission.
Corporal Crescenz’s Medal of Honor was presented to his family by President Richard Nixon during a ceremony at the White House on April 7, 1970.
2020 Veterans Beach Tags can be obtained seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Sea Isle City Beach Tag Office, located inside the Welcome Center at 300 JFK Boulevard.
To receive a complimentary Veterans Beach Tag, each veteran must present his or her DD214 Discharge Papers and one other form of identification. Any veteran who has served and was released through honorable discharge with at least 90 days active duty or released from active duty by reason of a service-incurred injury or disability is qualified to receive a Veterans Beach Tag.
Qualifying veterans must be present at the time of request. Veterans Beach Tags are not transferable.
For more information about Sea Isle City beach tags, go to www.seaislecitynj.us or call the Beach Tag Office at 609-263-8687, ext. 105.
