Ocean City Thanks Veterans ... With Vacations

Ocean City is about 7,000 miles from Afghanistan in distance, and perhaps even farther in spirit — at least for Staff Sgt. John "Jay" Hurley of the U.S. Air Force 177th Fighter Wing.

Hurley served as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician in Afghanistan from June to December in 2012. But this week, he's on vacation in Ocean City with his wife, Kandace, and two children, Garrett, 11, and Aislinn, 4.

The Hurleys are here as guests of the American Legion Post 524 of Ocean City, which helped organize a program to offer free vacations to returning veterans.

"We wanted to honor the service and sacrifice of the people who have been deployed, and to honor the sacrifice of their families," said Steve Cole, a Post 524 member and Ocean City resident.

Cole said the idea started with Chris Mirena of Monihan Realty, who asked, "Can we do something for the veterans?"

Mirena helped arrange the donation of a couple weeks vacation in May, and the American Legion Post is working to continue the program for another three weeks in September.

Air Force Senior Airman Gus Rosado, another returning veteran of the 177th, will vacation next week with his wife, Suzanne, and children, Xavier and Suzanna.

The Hurleys were at City Hall on Monday afternoon, where Mayor Jay Gillian read a proclamation honoring his service.

Hurley joined the Air Force in 1996, and his EOD team was nominated for several awards for their actions in Afghanistan in 2012, according to the mayor's proclamation.

Back home, Kandace said she had to learn to do a lot on her own and was grateful for the help of her parents. But she was very excited to see John return home safely.

The Hurleys live in Swedesboro, but they said Monday that they had never been able to spend any extended time in Ocean City.

They had been to the Boardwalk earlier on Monday and were excited about the opportunity to explore more of the island for the rest of the week.