The 2025 John Basilone Parade will be on Sunday, September 21st at 1 PM.
John Basilone is the only Enlisted Marine:
- To be awarded both The Congressional Medal of Honor and The Navy Cross.
- To return to action after being presented the Medal of Honor and be killed in action.
- To have an annual parade in his honor
There will be a ceremony at Basilone Statue after parade around 2:30 PM.
On parade day groups participating in the parade need to “check in” at the Registration Desk at the Raritan Train Station. The desk opens at 9 AM.
You should arrive by 11am so you can park, register and get to your starting location. The people at the registration desk will point you in the direction of the person that will show you where we are in the parade lineup.
For first timers, reminder Raritan is in Somerset County next to Somerville and Bridgewater. A good GPS address to get to the Raritan Train Station is:
77 Thompson Street Raritan NJ 08869
Remember – the parade is rain or shine.
As for parking for the Basilone Parade, Raritan is a downtown with somewhat crowded side streets.
Those participating in the parade may park at the Raritan Train Station – if parking spots are available. The earlier you arrive, the better chance you have of getting a parking spot at the train station. Other parking is available on the many side-streets in Raritan. In addition, there are two banks on Raritan’s main street – Somerset Street – which have around 16 parking spots each. Those banks are the PNC Bank at 9 West Somerset Street and Somerset Savings Bank at 802 West Somerset Street. There is also parking at LabCorp which is on Johnson Drive – which is off First Avenue. Also, along the river, the southern park of town, there are several small parking lots on Canal Street and Orlando Drive.
The 2026 Northeast Division Conference will feature Division business sessions, leadership development programming, and concurrent breakout discussions designed to strengthen Detachments and Departments across the Northeast. Early registration is encouraged to assist with planning and space allocation.
For more information, visit the Northeast Division Conference webpage.
Download the Northeast Division MOY and AOY protocol.
Our next Four Chaplains Award Ceremony will be held on June 20th at 10:00 am.
The annual Father Washington – Four Chaplains Award Ceremony is being hosted by Father Washington’s parish, St. Stephen’s Church, located at 141 Washington Avenue in Kearny (corner of Kearny Ave and Washington Ave).
If you haven’t seen the Four Chaplains Award Ceremony, it’s worth coming to support the winners and learn more about the program.
This is a great opportunity to recognize those in our community who do so much to help others!
I hope to see you there.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call Paul Thompson at (201-320-3210) or email paulcfp@aol.com.