“Residents of Morris, Essex, Passaic and Sussex counties will gather in their hometowns this weekend to remember our unbroken line of heroes stretching back to the days when General George Washington encamped at nearby Jockey Hollow.  

“Since the founding of the Republic, the sons and daughters of New Jersey have always stepped forward to serve. And from the battles of Afghanistan and Iraq, to the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, to the clashes of the World Wars, to the struggles that made us a nation, their names remind us that ‘freedom is not free’ and liberty is always the achievement of courage.

“As we gather on Memorial Day 2013, it bears repeating: we are still a nation at war.  Our thoughts rightly turn to the sacrifices of those men and women, and their families, who serve our nation with honor in our Armed Forces.  Our prayers are also with those recuperating from wounds of war and veterans suffering the effects of their service. 

“This weekend, we honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation and were last seen standing duty.  

“May God keep us ever grateful and may he bless the United States of America.”